The Bad Wolf and the Lonely Man
by AdventurousMind
Summary: Wanting to be anywhere but doing paperwork at Torchwood, Rose finds herself on a different Earth with a woman who knows her, and the Doctor. When the mysterious River Song promises to help Rose get home, Rose knows it's the beginning of a wonderful friendship. AU, Reunion Fic. (Rating changed for mild language)
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: I do not own any places, characters, creatures, or objects that you recognize. Quotes taken from Forests of the Dead (and one from Casablanca...)  
I'm new to fanfiction and looking for a response, to see if I should post more to this story or not. Please let me know what you think**

The Doctor came to suddenly, his overactive brain racing as he remembered his situation. His eyes snapped up and he lunged forward.

"No!" He cried as he was jerked backwards, one arm refusing to move with the rest of him. "No no no no no, that's my job." He snapped at the mad, mysterious, infuriating woman sitting in the chair in front of him.

"Someday soon, sweetie, you're going to have to learn to accept help. Then, and now, you don't have a choice." She smiled faintly as she shook her head, the riot of curls she had pinned back shaking. She had the air of someone recalling memories fondly.

He glanced at his uncooperative arm. "Why am I handcuffed? Why do you even have handcuffs?"

She laughed. She laughed, she's about to kill herself and she laughed, who _is_ this woman? The Doctor wondered frantically.

"Spoilers." She said with a wink.

"This will kill you, I have a chance, you don't have any." His voice rose at the end with his frantic plea.

"You wouldn't have a chance. And- and I don't have a choice." Her voice steadied as she spoke. "I'm timing it for the end of the countdown, clean download."

"There's always a choice River. Let me do this." He was pleading. So many people giving their lives to save him. So many, too many.

"If you die here, then I'd have never met you."

"Time can be rewritten."

"Not those times. Not one minute, don't you dare." She glared at him fiercely.

"River, please-"

"No. Shut up. I'm dying, I get to talk. Thing is, this means you've always known how I was going to die. All those times we had, you've always known it would end here. The last time I saw you, the future you, you showed up on my doorstep and she handed me a parka. We went to Woman Wept and walked beneath the hundred foot waves and you cried. You said it was the cold and the wind, but you cried, and you wouldn't tell us why. Don't tell her Doctor, I don't want her to be sad. Don't tell her."

"Who, River? Who can't I tell?" He took a deep breath, "River, what you said before, I only ever told one person that, I don't even sound like that any more."

"Spoilers, Doctor. Don't be sad Doctor, you have all that to come. All of us together, across the stars, watch us... run." She pressed the ends of the cables together and the Doctor's vision exploded into white light.

Even after he saved her imprint to the hard drive, he was tempted to go back and look through the diary. She'd said she was someone he trusted, trusted with his stories, with his past. But _that_ part of his past was too painful, he couldn't imagine telling that to anybody.

"Doctor," Donna said quietly from his side, "Doctor, let's go."

"Right, right you are." He straightened his tie and strode to the Tardis, with forced cheer he called back to his companion, "Let's go then!"

* * *

Rose moaned as she flopped into her cushy desk chair. She felt bruised everywhere. After a long morning chasing aliens around London, the chair was a godsend.

Well, if she was perfectly honest, less of a godsend and more like the diligent application of skills. If Torchwood wanted to keep their offices safe, they shouldn't teach their field agents how to break through just about any lock on earth or nearby systems. She was fairly certain her dad knew she'd stolen the chair, but he never said anything about it.

Possibly because he liked the idea of the high-and-mighty Yvonne Hartman sitting on one of the stiff roller chairs the rest of the employees used. The director of Budget and Inventory always set Rose's nerves on fire. Her dad seemed to agree, and even her mum, who tried so hard to get along with everyone she met in this parallel world, couldn't stomach the woman. She'd been in place in the old Torchwood, before Pete Tyler had taken over, and bitterly resented the changes he'd made. Rose thought she was a bit like Cassandra, the last human. Always whinging on about humans being the most important. Hartman didn't see the point in negotiation or aiding stranded travelers. Her favorite line, 'If it's alien, it's ours.' didn't sit well with any of them. Plus, her mum had grudgingly admitted after Rose pressed, that Hartman had been in charge of Torchwood in the other universe, the real universe, and it was her fault that things had gone the way they had.

Yeah, that was probably why he hadn't minded that she'd stolen the chair for her own office.

She opened her laptop to start writing a report about today's incident. So much paperwork. It was times like this, she thought, when she'd rather be anywhere else. Suddenly, she felt a strange tugging in her stomach. A soft song sounded in her head as the feeling grew, the same feeling as when you drop suddenly on a roller coaster or, as she'd found more recently, parachute out of a zeppelin. The voice singing in her head was so beautiful, she closed her eyes and followed it back into her mind. When her head collided with the desk, she was already gone.

She opened her eyes. Then blinked, and blinked again. Apparently she had completely gotten used to transmat beams because she didn't feel dizzy at all.

"You know," She yelled, hoping that whoever, whatever, brought her here was nearby, "If you wanted me off-world you could have just asked!"

It was true, she volunteered for every off-world mission she could. And she was usually picked for them. Her experiences with the Doctor had primed her for that sort of thing. She was Torchwood's most skilled negotiator. Now though, after four years working at the institute, she had a reputation in space. She was not only Rose Tyler, Defender of Earth, like the Doctor claimed, but also Rose Tyler, Defender of Peace, according to the local systems.

But the empty field with its tall grass and sprinkling of wild flowers stayed silent. Well, except for the sound of rushing water. She sighed and looked intently around. The sky was spotted with clouds, but clear enough that she could see it was the exact same shade of blue as Earth's atmosphere. In fact, most everything looked like Earth. She examined the trees in the distance. Yup, she thought, birches. So, she was on Earth still, but where? She took a deep breath. The air tasted clean, so no where near a city. Then it hit her, there were no zeppelins to be seen anywhere. She gulped. She had to be a long way from civilization to not see any zeppelins. One thing she was certain of, she wouldn't find anything out by standing where she was. She set off towards the hill, hoping she would see something.

It was a few steps before she noticed the feeling of grass against her ankles. She shouldn't feel that through the thick canvas trousers of her uniform nor the sturdy boots. She looked down. Instead of the black, heavy-duty Torchwood standard she wore gold sandals and a light, floaty blue linen dress. Tardis blue.

"Breathe, Tyler. Deep breaths." She ordered herself in her best impression of Sam, the director of the Torchwood field agents. She could not allow herself to panic. She could, and would, figure out what was going on and how to get home.

The light breeze blew the loose fabric of her skirt around her calves and she couldn't help but smile to herself. It had been a long time since she'd worn anything like that dress. She was usually forced between her Torchwood gear and elaborate formal wear for galas and parties as the Vitex heiress. As far as "let's capture Rose" situations went, this was possibly the most pleasant one she'd ever been in. That being said, she still didn't know where she was, why, and how long she'd been gone. Cresting the hill, she let out a sigh of relief. A quarter of a mile away was a building. A large, mansion like building, and she could see flutters of movement inside. Humming to herself, she walked on.

At the front of the building a man was bent over the open hood of a car. A classic American car, Rose recognized from her time spent with Mickey. Was she in America then? She glanced at the license plates, but there were none. She cleared her throat.

"Hey Miss Evangelista, could you get me a-" The man said as he glanced up, then froze. He was about five years older than Rose with dark skin and a mass of curly black hair. "Hang on, who the bloody hell are you?"

"Well, rude as that was, it was obviously not you that's kidnapped me." Rose replied calmly.

"What are you on about, kidnapped? How did you get here?" He was studying her intently, and a little suspiciously. Like she was a puzzle, or a bomb that would go off if he didn't defuse it in time.

"I woke up standing in that field, when before, I was at my desk." She explained.

He stared at her for a minute more.

"Right, well, let's ask River." He told her and turned to walk inside.

She followed him. It had been a long time since she'd completely panicked in a situation, she wanted to keep that streak up.

"So, you're awfully calm for being kidnapped." The man said with a sly glance over his shoulder.

She smirked. "It wouldn't be the first time and I doubt it will be the last."

"You said you were at your desk, do you work at the Library?" He asked.

"Uh, no. Sorry, what library?"

"The Library, you know, the planet?" He looked at her like she was an idiot.

"Huh, nope. Is that where we are?"

"Sort of, we're- ah, I'll let River explain it." Now he was just confused.

"Hang on, are you human?" Last time she checked, few people talked about visiting planets. Fewer who wouldn't recognize her on sight.

"Yes, are you?"

"Yeah. Um, this might sound odd, but when are you from?" Her heart pounded in her throat. It would be significantly harder to get home if she'd traveled in time.

"5026."

She swallowed. "Oh." She leaned against the dark wooden wall of the stairwell, remembering how to breathe.

"Ah, when- when are you from?" He asked nervously.

She laughed breathlessly. "2010."

His jaw dropped. "Yeah, I think you should talk to River."

She nodded slowly, eyes closed. "Alright." She opened her eyes and followed him up the stairs and down a hallway. He stepped inside a doorway and softly cleared his throat. A woman sat typing at a computer. All Rose could see of her was an incredible pile of caramel colored curls.

"Just a minute." Her voice was husky and warm, but Rose could hear, buried underneath, a current of sorrow. It was the same sound her voice had sometimes.

"I think this might be important."

Rose snorted, "I'll say." She said softly, mostly to herself. It may not matter to them if she got home, but it was important to her. Her family was all she had left after- well. No use thinking about that, she was going to get home if she had to mug a time agent to do it.

She wasn't expecting the woman, River, to whirl suddenly at the sound of her voice.

"Rose." She whispered, her face white. In her eyes a burst of emotions cycled through. Sorrow to surprise to joy and she flung herself at the younger woman, hugging her tightly.

"You're here, is the Doctor here too?" She asked happily, not releasing Rose, who tentatively hugged her back.

"Um, hello?" Rose said shyly.

The woman (River, Rose reminded herself) pulled away at that and looked intently into Rose's eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose saw the man edge his way out of the room.

"Oh." River said, turning away, but not before Rose saw the shimmer of tears forming in her eyes.

"Hey," Rose said softly, gripping River on the shoulders for a kind of sideways hug, "it's alright. Usually it's me huggin' people who have no idea who I am."

River chuckled thickly.

"An', if it helps, you're my new favorite person."

"Why is that?"

Rose grinned, a real grin with her tongue curling around her teeth in a way she'd hardly done in four years. "Because you just told me that I'm going to see the Doctor again!"

"You know why that is?"

"Well, obviously, you know me and the Doctor, but I don't know you, and you know why I don't know you, which means you're from the future, my future, which means my future includes the Doctor." She concluded happily.

River laughed at that and faced her again. "Thank you." She said, smiling despite the tears running down her cheeks. She stuck out a hand.

"Hello Rose Tyler, I'm River Song. Would you like a cuppa?"

Rose shook her hand. "I'd kill for one."

By unspoken agreement, they were nearly silent as they prepared the tea, speaking only about the task at hand. Rose took the tray and followed River, who carried a tin of biscuits, into a sitting room. Rose paused just inside the door. On the other side of the room stood four people, including the first man she met, arms crossed, eyes focused on River. She ignored them and settled comfortably on the sofa.

"Hello." Rose said, breaking the silence.

The four strangers glanced at her before returning to glaring at River.

River sighed. "Rose, you met Other Dave before. This is Miss Evangelista, Anita, and Proper Dave. They were part of my archeology team."

"Nice to meet you." Rose said as she set the tea tray down on the table in front of River, she sat in a comfy chair opposite the older woman.

"Professor Song, what's going on? How did she get here?" That was Anita.

River cocked her head and smiled slowly. "I'm not sure."

"Then why are you smiling?" asked Proper Dave.

"Because I'm going to find out. Now, can you leave us in peace? We're having tea."

Rose bit her lip to suppress a laugh at the pouts that rose on almost every face. They filed out of the room.

River passed her a cup and she took a sip.

"Mmm. That's perfect, you do know me."

River smiled wryly. "You're a good deal easier to convince of that than the Doctor was."

"Alright, so you know me, and the Doctor. But where are we? Dave, um, Other Dave, was surprised to see another person. It was like Krop Tor."

"Well we're not circling a black hole. We're stuck in a sort of virtual reality. The question is, how did you get in?"

"Don't ask me. I was just sitting down at my desk and this- this funny sort of feeling came over me and then I was standing in a field."

"What sort of funny feeling?" River asked, peering intently over the rim of her teacup.

"There was this singing, and my stomach dropped."

"Ah. Did you say your desk? At Torchwood?" She asked urgently.

"Yeah."

"Ohhhh... So many more things in my life make sense now!"

"Sorry?"

"You're still in the wrong universe?"

"Well, now I'm here. Sorry, did you say we're stuck here?"

"Mmm. I am, you're not. And Rose Tyler, I'm going to help you get home."

Rose smiled. "River, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own very little of this. Quotes taken from the parting of the ways, all rights to the BBC and the original writers.**

_Author's note: Just a heads up, I love River Song, I just don't like her with the Doctor. Thank you all for your follows, favorites, and reviews, they are much appreciated and I will try to live up to your praise. _

"Okay, so why are you stuck here and I'm not?" Rose asked. They had relocated to a small gazebo in the Japanese garden behind the mansion.

"Only your consciousness is here, this place doesn't have a physical existence. You have a body to go back to, we don't."

"But that means that you're..." Rose trailed off.

River raised an eyebrow. "Dead? Yes. In a way."

Rose looked into the steady, light green eyes of her new-old friend.

"Saving the Doctor." River said, answering the unspoken question. "This reality was created by the largest computer in the universe in the largest library in the universe. The library was created for the benefit of an ill little girl, Charlotte, CAL. She was dying. Her father built the library and moved her consciousness into the computer. In a way, she is the computer."

River paused and looked into the distance.

"Something went wrong." She continued. "The library was attacked and all the people present vanished in an instant and the library was sealed off. One hundred years later, I was asked to lead an expedition into the library. I sent a message to the psychic paper and the Doctor met us there. But I sent it too early and the Doctor had no idea who I was.

"Turns out there were creatures living in the trees that were used to make the books of the library and they weren't happy. The Vashta Nerada they're called. The Doctor said they live in the shadows and strip flesh, that's where the fear of the dark comes from.

"CAL had teleported everyone in the Library at the instant they attacked but there was no where safe for her to teleport them to, so she saved them to the hard drive. The Doctor struck a deal with the swarm and prepared to get everyone out, but the computer didn't have enough space. So he was going to wire himself in. But it would have killed him, so I did it instead."

"He wouldn't have liked that." Rose murmured.

River smiled softly at her. "That's why I knocked him out and handcuffed him to the wall a safe distance away."

"So then, how did you end up here?"

"The screwdriver. The Doctor, the future Doctor, gave me his screwdriver just before I went to the Library. There was a neural relay inside which downloaded my consciousness and he uploaded that to the computer.

"He didn't even know me then, but he still didn't give up."

Rose stood and hugged the other woman, who was beginning to cry again. Rose held off asking about the others.

"Alright, so that's how you got here, but what about me? I thought the walls between the universes were sealed." She asked as she returned to her seat next to River.

"This place isn't exactly another universe, but it isn't in your home universe, it's sort of a bubble on the outside. And you didn't physically travel here. As to why you came, I think partly it was because of me."

"Because of you. How?"

"I was missing you. You and I, we're sort of- connected. I may have pulled you here."

"What do you mean connected?"

"Oh, this is the very beginning for you. Rose, what do you remember of Satellite Five?"

"I broke into the Tardis, and there was this sort of singing, and then I woke up after saving the Doctor. And then he regenerated."

"Oh that man. For such a brilliant man, he can be such an idiot."

Rose agreed.

"So, your memories from that time are locked away in your mind. I can guide you through unlocking them."

"Sorry, is this telling me how you and I are connected?" Rose interrupted.

"Yes. It's complicated and it'll get there." River winked at her.

Rose frowned back at her.

River smiled wider. "You know, the Doctor once said that if he only knew one of us, he'd think that one would be the single most complicated being in all of time and space, but when you put the two of us in the room, the complication increases exponentially. I'm explaining it as best I can. You talked me through it over the span of years."

"Hang on, I did what?"

"To quote the Doctor, it's all very Timey-wimey. Nearly everything that I'm going tell you, you told me. My timeline is, quite frankly, a jumbled mess in comparison to you and the Doctor."

"And what's that mean?"

"About half the time that I meet you will be before the last time we meet up. Let's get moving with this, I'm not sure how long we'll have, and I need to teach you how to get back."

"Would you just tell me something straightforward? What do you mean how long we'll have? I'm not going anywhere." Rose was reaching the tipping point, there was too much information, scattered and hidden like nuggets in River's words.

River sighed, "Sorry, I am trying. What I meant is that, while you're here, your body is unconscious back in the real world. How long do you think it will be before someone finds you and tries to wake you up?"

"And will I wake up?"

"It all depends on what they do."

"Right. Focusing, following directions, and asking fewer questions." Her mum wasn't going to be happy to hear her daughter was unconscious and unresponsive.

"Good. Do you know how to meditate?"

"Yes." It was part of the Torchwood basic psychic training.

"Wonderful. Slip into your meditative state and I'll guide you from there."

Rose shifted to the ground, sitting cross-legged, her back straight and hand loose and relaxed on her lap. She took a deep, slow breath. Beneath her she could feel the smooth boards of the gazebo. The breeze danced across her skin, giving movement to air that may have otherwise been too warm. She could smell the flowers from the garden, a delightful mixture of honeysuckle and lilac. She slipped further into her mind and that awareness faded away. Instead, she stood, alone, in a room. Around her, the light was gold and turquoise. The tree-like branches of coral circled the room. She smiled. Home. Her teachers had instructed the students to think of their safest place to use as their center. The Tardis console room was the safest place she'd ever been.

"Can you hear me?" River's voice asked from center of the room.

Rose walked up the ramp and found River speaking from the vid screen on the console.

"Yeah, loud and clear."

"Good. So you're going to need to seek out the memories of the Heart of the Tardis. When you find it, think of the gap in your memories. It might be difficult to find where it lives in your mind. It's golden and glowing and it will sing to you."

Rose smiled, "Yeah, might be easier than you think."

"Why's that?"

"Because my safe room is the console room." Rose couldn't help but giggle at the end.

River laughed too. "Alright, find that memory, and then come out. You don't need to deal with the rest of it in there."

The rest of what? Rose wondered as she walked over to the panel she'd pulled open with a big, yellow truck so long ago. She pulled on it and it refused to budge. She frowned, this was her mind after all. She closed her virtual eyes and imagined (within her imagination) the panel opening as she pulled. This time it lifted smoothly up. She heard singing. It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard and it sounded familiar. She couldn't believe she'd ever forgotten it. Opening her eyes, the swirling mass of gold tendrils overtook her, filling her with gold. As River instructed, she thought back to saving the Doctor... and remembered.

She remembered casting the doors shut and flinging them into the vortex.

"_I looked into the Tardis and the Tardis looked into me."_

"_I want you safe, my Doctor"_

"_I am the Bad Wolf, I take the words and I scatter them in time and space."_

"_You are tiny."_

"_I take every atom and I divide them."_

"_I bring life." Jack, Jack is alive._

"_I think you need a Doctor."_

_The Doctor's cool lips on hers._

She blinked. The memory filtered its way back into her awareness. She closed her eyes in her safe room and let out a big breath before opening them back in the real world. Well, River's virtual reality.

"Blimey, how many alternate realities can I be in at one time?" She said as she stood and stretched. She slumped back into her chair.

"And now? How much do you remember?" River insisted.

"All of it. Well, not all of time and space happening at once, but I remember how that felt."

"That's what the Time Lords did, sort of. Their initiation was looking into the Untempered Schism, a gap in reality where all of time and space exists at once. That's how they became Time Lords."

"But I'm not a Time Lord." Rose said shakily, almost asking for confirmation.

"No, you aren't. But you looked into the Tardis..."

"...And the Tardis looked into me."

"Exactly." River said, "The girl in the Tardis and- the Tardis in the girl. The only reason you can remember that is because you are still connected to the Tardis. As am I."

"So you looked into the Heart too? What did the Doctor need rescuing from then?"

River laughed, "No, I was exposed to the Tardis and the Vortex at, let's say, my most vulnerable time."

She glanced at Rose's blank face and sighed. "At conception."

"Oh. OH." She paused, then, "So you're like me."

"Not entirely. I am actually part Time Lord because of that. I can regenerate, you can't. But yes, I have some of the same Tardis abilities that you do."

"What abilit- ow!" Rose yelped as her skin prickled painfully and a pounding sort of ache started in her head.

"I think they're trying to wake you up." River said, "To get back here, slip into your trance again, find the Heart, and think of me. Be seeing you soon."

Rose winced as a she felt a sharp pinch on her arm and the prickling turned into burning. "Good bye, River. It was very nice to meet you."

Rose felt herself slipping away, the same pulling feeling in her stomach and the song in her head, the song of the Tardis.

In a world that wasn't real, a slow, solitary tear traced down the smooth cheek of Melody Pond.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All rights to the BBC. I own very little.**

_Author's note: Just a warning, I am American, so I imagine I'll be getting a large bit of the slang wrong, I apologize in advance._

Her eyes flickered open to a white ceiling just as someone stuck a needle into her arm.

"Ow!" She yelped as she held herself still, she didn't want that needle going anywhere fast. "I'm awake, I'm awake!"

"Jesus." Dr. Owen Harper swore as he instinctively slid the needle out of her arm.

"Rose!" Her mum gushed coming to stand by her bed. "Are you alright sweetheart? I was here having lunch with your dad and they said they couldn't wake you up. Are you dizzy? Sore? Did you hit your head? Were you exposed to a gas? Were you poisoned?"

"Mum, Mum, calm down. I'm fine. Breathe"

"Actually, she has a good point." Owen drawled as if surprised. "That wasn't a normal unconscious state. In the last half hour your brain showed massive amounts of activity, more than you would say, while taking a test on astrophysics."

That surprised Rose. "Huh." Well, that was articulate. It made sense, she supposed. She had accessed a part of her memories that required a massive amount of brain to process.

"How do you feel?" Owen asked lazily. Rose nearly rolled her eyes. Owen put a lot of effort acting as if he didn't care about anything. Like today, she could usually forgive it, she knew what losing a loved one could do to you.

"I'm fine. Like I just woke up from a good night's sleep." She said sitting up and swinging her legs over the edge of the infirmary bed.

"Woah there, you aren't going anywhere until you've had a full check up."

"Owen, I'm fine. I don't need a check up, I'm not even dizzy."

"Well you know me, if I could let you walk out those doors I'd be glad to get rid of you. But you know the rules as well as I do. Any time you come to medical, you have to get checked before you can resume work."

"Rose, you need to find out what it is. What if it happens again? What if it gets worse? What if you fall unconscious in the middle of a mission? What then?" Her mum was nearly hysterical.

"Mum, calm down. Breathe. I'm fine. It won't happen again."

"Do you know what caused this then?" Owen interjected abruptly.

"I-" She paused, there wasn't a way to explain what had happened without sounding like a nutter. "It won't happen again." She said firmly. She sighed, "But you can run your checks." She knew that would be the fastest way to get out of there now.

Owen raised an eyebrow at her sudden change of mind.

"I'm gonna go tell your dad you're awake, sweetheart. You make sure you're healthy." Jackie said and walked out the door.

"Did you lose consciousness before or after you got that giant lump on your forehead?" Owen asked.

"The what?"She squawked, lifting a hand to her forehead. Gently, she fingered the egg shaped lumpy bruise. "Ugh. Before. I must have hit my desk."

"Here." Owen grabbed a tube of cream and tossed it to her. It was an off-world bruise balm that worked like magic. Gratefully she dabbed some on the bruise. It shrank under her fingers as the blissfully cool cream soaked into her skin.

"Thanks."

"Did you come into contact with anything in the past few days that may have affected you?" Owen asked as he turned to study his computer.

"No." She all but growled

Remembering the feeling of her skin prickling and burning, she glanced at her arms. Sure enough, she found multiple needle marks.

"What the hell did you give me? That stuff hurt." She demanded.

"You were aware of your body?" Owen asked quickly.

"Only once it started burning." She muttered darkly to him.

He glanced at her over his shoulder. "The last thing I gave you was dilute epinephrine. Which, while it did wake you up, should have had a very different physiological response." He nodded to the heart rate monitor which still scanning her. He turned back to his computer. Epinephrine, that sounded familiar. Right, the chemical name for adrenaline. Rose looked at the monitor too. If she'd had an injection of adrenaline, her heart should be racing, along with a number of other side effects.

"There doesn't seem to be anything unusual in your bloodstream. Your white blood cell count is high, but that's consistent with your other tests and you're definitely not cancerous." Owen told her. "Now that you're awake we can do some more brain scans and compare, see if anything pops. Otherwise, we'll just assume that whatever it was is now gone. If it happens again, Tyler, you're getting a complete medical overhaul."

Rose gritted her teeth and nodded. She was suddenly glad he wasn't checking her DNA. Her mother's voice from four years before came flooding back.

_But she's not Rose Tyler, she's not even human._

_The Tardis in the Girl._

Was she still human? Only now did she feel sick.

The brain scans done, with Owen finding nothing problematic, she was allowed to walk out. She paused in the doorway.

"Owen, how long was I out?"

"Three hours, as best we can tell."

She nodded and left. Back to work.

* * *

She knew there were advantages to having her dad as the Director of Torchwood, but right then she couldn't bring any to mind. She stomped through the door of her flat, dropping her keys in the bowl by the door and shrugging out of her jacket. Her mum, close behind her, shut the door gently.

"If you're going to act like a bleedin' teenager having a tantrum you might as well go to your room without any supper."

Rose glared at he mother. She had returned to her office, taking the stairs two at a time, hastily so that she could finish the incident report and go home. Once home, she figured, she'd be free to contact River at her leisure. Instead, her parents met her at the door to her office.

"_Captain Tyler, you are placed on medical leave for the next week. Don't let me see you anywhere near this office. If you don't have any more blackouts, we'll put you back on active duty." Her dad told her._

"_And you might have a head injury, so I'm staying with you tonight." Her mum added._

"_Mum, Owen scanned my brain, remember? No internal injuries."_

"_All the same, we can't be too careful."_

Rose sighed. If she were looking at the situation from the outside, she'd probably feel the same way. And there wasn't a way to explain what happened to her mum, a mysterious woman in her head told her there was a way back to the Doctor? Yeah, they'd probably think she'd had a psychotic break from overwork. No, for now she'd have to keep that a secret.

"Sorry Mum, I just don't want all this fuss."

"Sweetheart, we just worry about you."

"I know." Rose said, wrapping her arms around her mother and squeezing tight. "I'll make dinner."

After dinner and a movie, Rose helped her mum set up a bed on the couch before retiring to her own room. Rose had hoped to use some of her sleep period to spend with River, but her mum was still worried about a head injury, so she'd be waking Rose up every two hours to make sure she could be roused. Tomorrow, she thought firmly as she switched off the light. She slid into dreams of the Doctor and each time her mum came in to wake her, Rose was smiling in her sleep.

Rose woke early the next morning and prepared breakfast quietly while her mum slept on the couch. She watched her mum sleep over the rim of her tea cup as the eggs cooked. Jackie had taken off the expensive jacket, all the jewelery, and the shiny shoes that came with her new life, but Rose couldn't deny that this woman was different from the one who compared bargain prices on the phone with Bev while wearing a pink track suit. This life suited her. She looked happier than Rose had ever seen.

Her musing was interrupted by the buzzer. Rose answered the door as her mum stirred. A streak of ginger and blue rushed past her at hip level and flung itself at her mum. Pete followed the toddler into the room as Rose opened the door the rest of the way.

"Morning Rose." He said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Feeling alright?"

"Yeah, Dad. Just fine. Hey Tony-Baloney! Are ya hungry squirt?"

Pulling away from his mum's kisses, the three year old ran at his sister and wrapped himself around her legs. "Rose!" He cried happily.

She laughed and picked him up, spinning him in a circle.

"Are you going into work with Daddy today, squirt?"

"Yeah! Someday I'm gonna fight aliens, just like you!"

"Then you're gonna have to grow big and strong. So you'll need a nice big breakfast." She set him on an extra high chair at the table before collecting the food.

Rose knew her parents were watching her closely as they ate, but she ignored them. Her chatty little brother was enough of an excuse. And really, she adored the kid. They were obviously related, despite the red hair Tony inherited from their father, with the same full mouth and warm brown eyes.

"Are you sure you'll be alright sweetheart?" Her mum asked as she followed her husband out the door. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

"I'm fine Mum. I promise, if I start feeling the slightest bit poorly, I'll ring. And I'll ring this afternoon anyway."

She finally shooed her family out of her apartment and closed the door, leaning against it with a sigh. She checked her watch. 8:30. She should be fine to contact River now, her mum shouldn't start to worry until two or three.

Leaving her empty mug clattering in the kitchen sink, she sat on her bed and took a deep breath. She sought the song and the golden light and thought of River. It took time, more time than she thought it would. Her frustration was enough to bring her out of the meditation once. Well, twice. Maybe three times. Finally regaining her calm, she opened her eyes to the mansion.

With a grin, she walked to the door and hesitated, unsure whether or not she should knock. Before she could decide, the door opened and River's curly haired head poked out.

"For next time, you don't have to knock. Come in, I made tea."

Rose followed her into the sunny kitchen and took a seat at the table.

"How did you know I was here?"

"You're mental signature was fading in and out as you were trying to get here. Once I could feel it fully, I knew you'd made it." River handed her a steaming mug.

"My what?"

"Unlocking your connection to the Tardis yesterday had a few other effects. Your telepathic abilities among them. We'll work on your telepathy today, right now your mind is almost completely unshielded."

"River... You said I'm not Time Lord. Am I still human?" Rose kept her eyes on her tea, almost keeping the quiver out of her voice and hands.

"Oh, sweetie." River's voice was warm and sad. "This is so much, isn't it? Genetically, you're about seventy-five percent human. What the Doctor likes to refer to as human-plus. But being human is so much more than genetics. What makes us human is what's inside, your heart, your soul. And you, Rose, are the most human-human I've ever met."

Rose looked up into the steady eyes of her companion. She gave a wobbly smile.

"Thank you." She said, inhaling slowly. "Should we start then?"

* * *

An hour later, Rose gasped for air, her skin soaked in sweat. River handed her a glass of water and she gulped it gladly.

"Let's say we take a break then?" River asked.

Rose nodded, wiping a hand across her sweaty forehead. The mental effort of repelling River's entrance into her mind was enough to leave her shaking. She swallowed more of the cold water.

"So, you know all about me, better than I do, I s'pose. What about you?"

River smiled broadly. "I told you yesterday that my timeline is scattered around yours and the Doctor's. I knew I was getting closer to the end when he trusted me less and less. And then the final time when he didn't know me at all, and you weren't there. But you, you've always known me, the real me. You knew who I was. You can't imagine how wonderful that was. And you never told him how you knew, and you lied to me about it. You told me that the Tardis gave you the times and the dates... and all along it was me, telling you." She shook her head, smiling. "I'm writing down everything I need to tell you, so that I get everything and all in the right order. As for me, I need your word that you won't change one single part of my life. Can you promise me that?"

Rose gazed back at her, startled by the intensity of the request. "Is it likely that I would? I've seen a paradox in action." She added bitterly, her heart clenching, remembering seeing her father die over and over again.

"My life, Rose, it hasn't always been easy. It isn't the sort of life that anyone would want for their child. But it is my life. And it has been one grand adventure. I wouldn't trade it for a happier childhood."

Rose nodded. "I promise."

"Plus, the scale of the paradox that would occur if you did change anything... That could cause universal cataclysm. The things I've done, the way my life is tangled with the Doctor's, with yours. It would be bad."

Something River said caught Rose's attention. "River, you aren't _my_ daughter, are you?"

River laughed. "No, sweetie."

"Well then, tell me."

"My name, my real name, is Melody Pond..."

* * *

River finished her story some time later with both women in tears. Her kidnapping by the Silence, Rose's rescue of her, and her life in a foster home in Leadworth, watching her parents grow up without being able to tell them who she was. Being astoundingly bored in school with her Time Lord-Tardis brain expanded beyond that of a normal kid. The brightest points of her childhood were visits from Rose. Lessons in using and hiding her abilities as well as normal conversations and, when she was old enough, trips to other times and places.

"Hang on," Rose added after some thought, "And what was the Doctor doing while I took little you around the universe? Did I steal the Tardis while he was busy?"

River laughed, "Sweetie, you're part Tardis, you can travel on your own."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Okay. How's that work, then?"

"We'll get there. Shall we try shielding your mind again?"

* * *

"Director Tyler? Dr. Harper wishes to speak with you." Pete Tyler's secretary said.

"Send him in, Carol."

The thin, cynical doctor stepped into the wide office with an unusual level of expression on his face.

"Something wrong, Dr. Harper?" Pete asked, hoping it had nothing to do with his daughter.

"It's about Rose, sir." Well, there goes that one.

"Is she in danger?" His voice caught in his throat.

"No sir. It's just... I think she knows more than she's saying about her black out."

Pete's eyebrows shot up. "Oh? Why?"

"I've treated Rose before, any number of times after missions. She's always easy to treat and anytime there's been a potential of exposure to alien tech or substances she's cautious and willing to be checked out. Yesterday she was, dunno, defensive, and impatient. It was odd."

"Do you think that she's being controlled by something?"

"No, her body language was right and her interactions with her mum."

"She did seem perfectly normal at breakfast. Was there anything else you noticed?"

"Two things, after the first few methods we tried to rouse her failed, we did some scans. Some to check for brain injury and some to check for brain activity. Her brain activity was incredibly high. Usually when someone is unconscious, they have almost no activity. There's almost no chance that she was completely unaware of something. Plus she was aware of her body to some extent, she said that the final injection I gave her burned. She shouldn't have been aware of that, and the drug wouldn't have done that anyway."

Pete stood and turned to the window as he thought. "I'll talk to her, Dr. Harper. My guess is that something's going on that she doesn't want to talk about yet. Thank you for your concern and assistance."

"Yes sir."

Pete sighed as the door shut behind Owen. "What have you gotten into now, Rose?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own much of this, not the characters or setting.**

_Author's note: I hope you folks are in for the long haul. This story is at 30,000 words and Rose still isn't back in her home universe..._

"I should probably be getting back, I don't know how the timing works. Last time they told me I was out for about three hours, but I wasn't here that long." Rose told River around gulps of water. This time, River was gasping for air too, Rose's defenses were becoming strong enough to make the older woman break a sweat.

"That's right. The time of this reality is fixed to the home universe. Your universe-" Rose made a face, "Sorry, the other universe, runs faster than your home universe. I'll work out the time difference so we can be more accurate."

"Right. So, um, how do I get back?"

"Same way you got here, just think of being back there. Getting sucked back into your own body should be easier than getting here."

"Should be." Rose mumbled as she closed her eyes.

River chuckled. "See you soon, sweetie."

Within a few minutes, Rose vanished.

"Come back soon." River whispered to the empty room. She stood and walked upstairs to her office. There were advantages to existing only as brainwave in a computer, the main one being that she could influence her surroundings with her mind. CAL provided most of the things they needed and they could always ask. But this was specific. River doubted that any of the others had the mental strength to influence anything in the reality and too much change could cause system failure. All the same, River sat and closed her eyes. The focused on an image of the desk in front of her and added in a very familiar book. She imagined what it would look like brand new, the dark blue leather cover uncreased, the creamy pages smooth and blank. Then again, Rose's journal was always in better condition then everyone else's, she took more care with it.

She opened her eyes and stretched out trembling fingers to touch the journal. Gently she traced the golden Celtic rose pattern that dominated the cover before opening the cover and beginning to write.

_The moment the paradox machine is enabled. Take a stash of Tardis-blue spray paint and an energy gun emitting a charge of 510 megajoules. Help Martha Jones as she walks the Earth. Don't be seen until you absolutely must. Finish her walk together. Use an alias. Stay deep in the Tardis as the paradox is broken._

Page after page, River wrote out the instructions that would take Rose on her long journey to to the Doctor.

* * *

Rose flooded back into her body with a gasp. Sweat still shimmered on her skin and her mouth was drier than a desert. She checked the clock, ten to one.

After a glass of water and a shower, Rose called her mum while making a sandwich. After assuring Jackie that she was fine, just checking in, she ate while her mum chattered happily in her ear. As she didn't need to actually respond beyond an 'mmhmm' or a 'hmm' she could safely fill her mouth with food.

"Oh and don't forget, Rose, Jake and Mickey are going over to yours for dinner." Jackie reminded before she hung up.

Rose almost spit out the swig of milk she'd just taken. "Right." She sputtered.

"I'll talk to you later, sweetheart, glad you're okay."

"Bye Mum, love you."

"Love you too."

She sprinted to her fridge and flung the door open. Nothing. At least, nothing to cook for more than one person. Well, she had time, she supposed. She flicked through a few cookbooks before slipping on her jacket and slipped her wallet and keys into her pocket. She'd stopped carrying a purse after she'd found that, like the Doctor, trouble seemed to follow her wherever she went and it was awkward running with a purse.

She was walking to her usual shop when she saw it and stopped in her tracks. It must have always been there, but she'd never noticed it. _Bad Wolf Stationary. _

_I take the words and I scatter them through time and space._ And apparently universes too.

"_Oh and Rose," River had said, "Buy a journal, a thick one."_

Time to get a journal.

The bell above the door tinkled faintly as she stepped into the shop. It was old-fashioned and posh. The walls, floors, and shelves were dark, shiny wood. The entry was flooded by colored light from the sun passing through the squares of stained glass above the door. The center of the shop held a large counter where and older man sat quietly. He was carefully cutting paper, a sheet at a time. Behind the counter was a large display of paper in different colors and textures. In the glass display of the counter sat a few beautiful fountain pens and gorgeous stationary edged with gold. The walls of the shop were covered with shelves of leather-bound books.

"Have you come into my shop for something particular or are you just going to stand- Ah. Miss Tyler. Welcome." He began irritable but changed his tone as he looked up and saw her.

Rose sighed slightly, she would never get used to being a celebrity.

"Hello. I'm looking for a journal, is that what all those are?" She asked, pointing to the shelves.

The man smiled. "Yes, I make each one by hand. Perhaps you could tell me what kind of a journal you're after, I may be able to help."

"Oh, there's no need to trouble yourself, I'm sure I can find one."

"Nonsense Miss Tyler, a journal is a personal thing, it should mean something to you. And sometimes you choose the journal, and sometimes the journal chooses you." He stood from the counter and came forward to shake her hand.

Rose stared at him for a minute. If Harry Potter had existed in that universe... He was a bit like Ollivander, less creepy though.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Tyler, I'm Mr. Swarton. Now, what do you want from your journal?"

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Swarton. I need something thick, and sturdy. I'm going to be traveling for a while and I need something that will hold up."

"Hmm, let's see." He turned and walked to the shelves, hands hovering as he debated which ones to pull.

As he worked on the growing stack of tomes in his arms, Rose ventured a question. "Sorry, can I ask, why've you named your shop 'Bad Wolf'?"

He looked over at her, eyes wide. "Well for the folktale of course. Lovers separated, reunited. And nothing says separated lovers like love letters."

"Right, the folktale, of course."

"Alright, miss, why don't you take a look at these." He spread the selection over the counter. Rose glanced at them and found herself drawn to one immediately. She couldn't even have said what colors the others were. Dark blue, a deeper shade than the Tardis but just as rich, accented by the golden design winding it's way across the cover. A twisting design centered by a rose.

"This one. I'll take this one." She said and shelled out the required bills. She would have paid twice as much for it.

"Here, miss. If you're going to be traveling and want to take care of it, have a case." He handed her a thick felted wool sleeve the color Rose associated with space. The kind of purple that glowed along the edges of nebulae.

"Thank you." She told him sincerely. "It's beautiful. It's perfect."

* * *

"So Rose, you're sure you're fine?" Mickey asked over dinner.

"Perfectly." Rose told him, "I just don't know what I'm going to do all week."

"And you aren't curious about what caused it?" Jake pressed.

"Sometimes things just happen." She shrugged it off.

"Yeah, but usually our type of things s'cause of aliens." Mickey reminded her.

"Which is why I'm not worried about it being a long term thing. Whatever it was, it's gone from my system, according to Owen."

Both the boys stared at her suspiciously.

"Do you lads want pudding or not?" No one brought it up after that.

"Hey Jake, is there a fairytale about the Bad Wolf?" Rose asked as casually while the boys pulled their jackets on.

Mickey glanced at her sharply.

"Yeah, 'course. Why?" Jake said, giving Rose a funny look.

"I heard someone mention it in a shop today and it sounded different from the ones we had. I'll have to look it up sometime."

"Yeah. Alright." Jake said as he went out the door.

Mickey looked after him for a moment and stepped closer to Rose. Looking down into her eyes, he made it clear he thought he was intimidating. "You don't fool me Rose, I'm not an idiot. And I remember all that bloody graffiti everywhere. You know something."

"And I'll tell you when I know more." Rose replied levelly, meeting his eyes and forcing him to look away first.

"Fine. See ya, Rose."

"Bye, Mickey"

'Story of the Bad Wolf' Rose typed into the internet search engine as soon as they left. A series of links popped up. She clicked on one that linked to page run by a professor of early English literature. According to the professor, no one was sure where the story came from, or when it started as there were references to it scattered throughout the collected literature and folktales of the island nation. And then the story began.

_Once, a long time ago, or maybe not so long, or maybe just another time, there was a young wolf. But she wasn't a wolf yet, she was just a girl and her life was boring. It wasn't until she met her mate, the Lonely Man, that she became something more. Together, hand in hand, they changed together, growing and learning as they traveled away. They always found trouble. When they started out, the Lonely Man was constantly saving the girl. But she learned and she began saving him. She saved his body the way she had already saved his heart. _

_No one was sure whether trouble followed the pair or they followed it, but they always appeared and saved the day. They saved other travelers and they saved whole villages. Along the way the girl picked up many names, some given to her by friends and some by enemies, but none were her name._

_When her mate was captured by his most ancient of enemies, she became the Bad Wolf. She called herself the Bad Wolf, for she was ferocious in her defense of her mate and she broke the rules to return to his side. She was something new and she vanquished the ancient enemies with aught but a heart of gold. _

_Years later, the enemies came back, pulling the Bad Wolf to a far away land and imprisoning her in walls so thick that it took a whole day to walk through a door. But the Bad Wolf didn't give up, she knew that her mate needed her, so she would never give up._

According to the professor, no one had ever heard an end to the story with the lovers reunited, but they all agreed that it was the only way the story could end.

Weird. Rose thought as she came to the end of it. This universe where she wasn't meant to exist, she existed as a folktale and a yappy dog. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Her phone beeped with a new message. She agreed to meet Mickey and Jake for lunch the next day. She needed to set a schedule for her meetings with River that she could maintain after work started again which meant the middle of the day was out. She'd have to start going after dinners. She needed something to do during the day, otherwise she'd get bored. But now, she was exhausted. Time for bed.

* * *

Two transfers on the underground and a short walk later, Mickey Smith was frowning as Jake keyed in to their apartment. Something was off about Rose and Mickey was determined to find out what. If it was alien, he needed to stop it. With Rose away from Torchwood for the week though, it would be much harder to keep an eye on her and he didn't want to worry Jackie and Pete if it was nothing.

"Hey Jake," He called to his flatmate, "Should we see if we can get lunches off and meet up with Rose this week?"

"Yeah, sure. Why?"

"Pete's banned her from the office and she's gonna be bored. And trust me, we don't want that to happen."

Jake chuckled. "Probably a safe move. I'm sure Pete'll let us off. For that at least."

Mickey grinned, and sent a message to Rose before ringing his boss.

"Talk to me." The older man said quickly.

"No emergency boss, sorry to worry you." Mickey told him as he realized what calling after hours might mean. He could almost hear Pete relax on the other end of the call.

"What's up Mickey?"

"Jake and I wondered if we could take lunches off site this week, meet up with Rose, keep her out of trouble, if that's possible."

Pete chuckled, Rose did have a knack for finding trouble. "Permission granted. Good luck. Goodnight Mickey."

"'Night Pete, see ya."

So, it seemed Mickey was worried about Rose too. Pete turned to his wife who was curled up at the end of the sofa, eyes fixed on the evening sitcom. "Jacks, maybe we should have Rose over for dinner this week. Just to check in."

Jackie turned to him quickly. "Do you think she's still in danger?" She asked, her voice rising with panic.

"No, no." Pete soothed, "I just want to make sure she's fine." And he didn't think she was in danger, mostly. But it was still suspicious.

* * *

"So." Anita's voice came from behind River. She turned from the journal she was filling and found herself facing the rest of her crew. River folded her hands and waited for the inquisition.

"Who is she?" Proper Dave asked.

"Her name is Rose."

"Yeah," said Other Dave, "That's not what we asked."

"She's an old friend."

"Like the Doctor?" Anita asked after a moment, remembering the conversation she had with River in the library.

River smiled. "Older. But yes, very like the Doctor."

"But how did she get here? And leave? And come again?" Proper Dave pressed.

"That's complicated."

"We have time." Miss Evangelista said innocently.

The corner of River's mouth twisted. "Follow me."

She led them out of her study and back downstairs to the sitting room. Once they were all settled, she began. "Very well. I suppose the first thing I should tell you is that Rose isn't exactly human, not completely. The second thing is that I'm not either." She held up a finger to stop the flood of questions about to spill from the others. "Both of us were born to human parents but we were exposed to something very powerful which... altered... us."

"You mean, like radiation?" Other Dave asked.

"Actually the radiation was a side effect and didn't do anything anyway. This was something much more powerful, and no, I'm not going to tell you what it was. We were exposed in different manners, so the results were slightly different. But both of us are telepathic and we are psychically linked. When she comes here, it is her consciousness only, her body remains on Earth. She has a body to return to. As for her coming here, it was initially by accident. It was a combination of her abilities and my accidental pull on our link. My best guess is that I wanted her here because I missed her and she wanted to get away from where she was, resulting in traveling. These are the early days for her and she doesn't know her own abilities, so I'm teaching her."

"Alright but hold on, she said she's from the twenty-first century. And she knew to ask, so she's a time traveler." Other Dave said.

"Yes."

"So why doesn't she just find you before this happened?"

"She can't."

"Why not?" Proper Dave asked.

"Because she's stuck in the wrong universe." Leaving them with their mouths open, River stood and returned to her study, closing and locking the door behind her. She continued to write directions to send her oldest and dearest friend on a journey that would change her forever.


	5. Chapter 5

It seemed that the early hours at Torchwood had destroyed Rose's ability to sleep past seven in the morning. And that was late for her to be getting up. Rose puttered in the kitchen after her breakfast, trying to figure out a way to spend her time. She cleaned her whole flat before it was time to meet up with Jake and Mickey.

Over lunch, her mates informed her that she'd be having lunch with them every day that week. They were, as Mickey put it, under orders to keep her out of trouble, whether that trouble came from aliens or her own boredom. She laughed but she didn't entirely believe them. At least, not Mickey. The same way he called her out the night before, she knew him and he was worried. Later, as she walked through Hyde Park on her way back to her flat, she got a call from her mum, ordering her to dinner at their place all week. Rose realized that could could be another way to fill her time and invited herself over earlier so she could play with her baby brother and chat with her mum. Jackie's enthusiasm at the idea made Rose feel a bit guilty.

When they'd first arrived in that universe, Rose helped out at Torchwood, lending her expertise until the Doctor figured out a way to get her back. She was utterly confident that he would, but she needed the distraction to avoid dwelling on just how much she missed him. 'Course at that point, Pete and Jackie were getting reacquainted and Pete was struggling to accept an adult daughter that he'd never had, so the distraction from that was nice too. But after Dårlig Ulv Stranden, Rose had collapsed into her grief. She allowed herself one month to wallow before she threw herself back into the world of fighting aliens with a vigor that surprised and worried her family.

After an encounter with crab-like empire building species known as the Macra left her injured and clinging to life by a thread, Pete put her on indefinite leave for reckless behavior. She never endangered others, usually it was to protect other people that she risked danger, but her own life seemed so void that she had no trouble putting it on the line. Lying in her hospital bed with a concussion, five broken ribs, and slash sewn shut that ran from the front of one hip around and across her back to her other shoulder, injuries that the doctors said she shouldn't have survived, she had her epiphany. She had wondered idly if the Doctor felt like this, not caring whether he lived or died. A terror gripped her at that and she knew immediately that she didn't want that for him, nor would he want it for her.

"_Have a fantastic life, Rose. Do that for me. Have a fantastic. Life."_

She'd turned to her mum, who had hardly left her bedside despite her obvious pregnancy, with tears welling in her eyes.

"Mummy." She said, her voice wobbling as the tears spilled down her cheeks. And Jackie had held her as she'd cried. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

From that day forward, she'd worked to build a life, a real life. She set aside the hole in her heart, honoring it with a monument, a statue dedicated to the life and the love she'd lost but it no longer consumed her. She was back to the Rose that Mickey and Jackie remembered, almost. She laughed and smiled, but there was always something a little wistful about her. She took her A levels while still on bedrest. After her health was back completely, a full month before the doctors expected, she enrolled in university, earning a degree in astrophysics in two years instead of three as well as a minor in mechanical engineering. She was loaded with course work until the day she graduated. Afterward, Pete had no reservations about reinstating her at Torchwood, where she was more successful than ever. But she still lived for her work, so she spent time with her family rarely. She was quickly promoted and ran her own team of field agents. As a top operative, she was often called in even when she was off-duty, not to mention the off-world trips.

So she'd neglected her mum. Plus, trusting River, she'd be leaving this entire universe behind, and hopefully soon. She had better spend time with them while she still could.

When the dinner finished and Rose returned to her apartment, she felt happier than she had for a long time. Just chatting casually with her parents and playing with Tony felt nice. _Domestic_ the Doctor's northern voice said in her head, but it made her laugh rather than weep. Yes, she would be leaving this behind, but she wanted to leave with good memories and this way she would leave them with good memories of her too. Feeling serene, she changed for bed and sent her mind to River.

* * *

"You're getting awfully good at that, sweetie." River called from the back of the house. Rose had arrived only a moment before. This time she was able to move almost at once instead of fading in and out like the last time. Rose followed River's voice through the mansion and out the patio doors into the garden. River was reclining in a padded lawn chair sipping a cool drink lazily.

"How come I always find you during the day?" Rose asked, settling back into a chair next to River and turning her face into the warm afternoon sun.

"Because when you come here, you're focusing on me instead of this place. I subconsciously reroute your arrival for a convenient time. The time when it's easiest to connect to me. Sort of. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, sure. Mostly."

"What time was it for you?"

"Evening. A bit past eight."

"Did you have a good day? Chase any aliens?" River teased.

Rose sighed dramatically. "I feel like a teenager, I'm grounded for the week. Technically I'm on medical leave. I guess it feels the same when the boss is your dad."

"You didn't tell him what happened?"

"I fall unconscious and mystery woman tells me that my wish is granted and I can see the Doctor again? He'd think I need to be sectioned."

River laughed, "But you will tell him. Them. Your family."

"Yeah, 'course. Just, when I have something more solid than strange dreams they can't wake me from. I know it's happening, by the way, I don't think I've made this up." Rose added her signature cheeky grin which River returned.

"Shall we check your mental shielding then?"

Rose nodded.

Some time later they both opened their eyes, panting. But Rose had successfully kept River from breaking through.

"Good. Keep practicing that. With your line of work, we wouldn't want you to get attacked by a telepath. I wanted to make sure your mind was safe before we did anything else." River told Rose.

"Makes sense." The younger woman replied. "So, how do I get back to the Doctor."

River's smile dimmed a little.

"What? What is it?" Rose asked, worried that maybe the reunion she so desperately craved was actually out of reach.

"Oh sweetie. We'll get you there, Rose, but it's going to take some time. Even after you get back to the proper universe, you can't go straight to him."

"Why not?"

"Because that's not how it happened. Mainly you have to go around saving the Doctor and then saving me."

"Well that doesn't sound so bad." Rose hedged.

River's smile dropped. "Some of the things you have to do, Rose, you told me they were the hardest you'd ever faced. And the Doctor can't know that you're there."

"But why?"

"At least one of them, the first thing, is because you could be used as a weapon against the Doctor. After that I'm not sure, but you've checked with the Tardis, and she told you that it can't be changed, he mustn't know you're back until the right time."

"Okay, step back, the Tardis told me?"

"In this case, I think you meant that she showed you several possible timelines and the only one that didn't end in chaos was the one you followed. But, you are part of the Tardis and she is part of you, so she can speak to you. She just doesn't do it often because she's very poor at tenses. You'll get hums and feelings and sometimes pictures a lot more often now though."

"There's so much for me to learn, isn't there? And I want to know all of it now but it's all intertwined so it's difficult to find a place to start." Rose said with a sigh.

River laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Difficult, yes." She said, "But not impossible."

The two women smiled at each other. Rose was so very glad that she'd found this once and future friend.

"Where do you want to start?" River asked.

"New, Tardis-y abilities." Rose said after some thought, she decided to go with what was the shortest of the topics she wanted to hear about.

"The telepathy obviously, the ability to move in time and space, you have a mental connection to the Tardis and to me, the translation circuit should pass back into effect, some control over your external appearance, and you'll sometimes sense things before they happen. If something really good or really bad happens soon, you'll sense it. It should give you enough time to duck." River added with a teasing smile.

"Oi, cheeky."

"Oh, and an extended lifespan."

Rose gulped. "How extended, exactly?"

"I'm not sure. If you figured it out, you didn't tell me. But long enough that the Doctor won't have to worry for at least a few centuries. What next?"

_But she won't be Rose Tyler, she's not even human._

_Humanity is what's inside us._

Her mum's words and River's played and replayed inside her head, beating like drums. She swallowed and took a slow, even breath.

"How do I get back to the Doctor?" Rose spat out all in one breath.

River raised an eyebrow and Rose got the feeling she was holding back a laugh at Rose's emotion. Hope and desperation mixed in equal parts.

"You can't do it on your own. You aren't anywhere near as near as powerful as the Tardis and she can't travel universes willy-nilly. You have to build something you called a dimension cannon. Though I don't know if you really decided that or because I told you... Anyway, it will help you step across the void. But it can only do that because the walls of the universes are going to damaged. Once they're fixed again, you can't go back, until the next time the Doctor has to stop the collapse of reality at least.

"When you first go across, the damage is slight enough that only you'll be able to cross. Later, when the darkness comes, the dimension hoppers Mickey and your dad used the last time will be enough to get them over. You'll actually have to cross three times."

"Why's that?"

"Because you can't risk staying in the unraveling of reality."

"What?" Whatever Rose was expecting, that was not it.

"You were right, everything is all intertwined." River moaned. "Can we agree to go into the physics of the machine later and I can tell you the main bits of the story?"

"Yeah, I think you'd better."

River ran a hand back through her thick tangle of curls, deciding where to begin and what needed to be told right away, and what could wait.

"Right then. So, immediately after his image faded away from Dårlig Ulv Stranden, the Doctor was preparing himself for a good long sulk. At least half a century. But his impending sulk was stopped by the appearance of a grumpy redhead in a wedding dress in the Tardis who immediately accused him of kidnapping her."

"But how-" interjected Rose.

"Shh, fingers on lips!" River told her.

Rose bit on her lip as she pressed her finger to it, remembering when the Doctor used that line on a group of adults. From the creasing at the corners of River's eyes, she was referencing that story. Which, Rose realized, probably meant that she was quoting Rose quoting the Doctor.

"Good. This woman, Donna Noble, was being used by an alien who wished to begin eating through the galaxy. As per usual, the Doctor's offer to move away from Earth was refused, so he had to destroy the threat and save Donna. The Doctor took Donna home and offered her a spot in the Tardis, which she refused. But she told him to find someone to travel with, he needed someone to stop him from going to far. Now remember Donna, she's important, but she leaves for a while.

So the Doctor found a new companion, Martha Jones. She was a medical student he met in a hospital that ended up on the moon. She didn't necessarily stop him from going to far, he kind of walked all over her, but she helped him live a bit more.

The Doctor, Martha, and Jack ended up at the end of the universe where they found another Time Lord. He had been in hiding since the Time War as a human. There's a device in the Tardis that can change the species of a person. It locks away the memories of the previous self, so he thought he was human. The Time Lord consciousness was locked into a pocket watch. He was actually the Master, the Doctor's childhood companion, his worst friend and his dearest enemy. He was shot by his assistant after he opened the watch and his madness became apparent, so he regenerated, taking the Tardis and flying off. The Doctor was able to fuse the controls before he left so the only time and place he could go was Earth, the last time and place the Tardis had been. It was off by eighteen months, so the Master had plenty of time to establish himself before the Doctor, Martha, and Jack returned by way of Jack's vortex manipulator. They arrived on election day to find the Master elected Prime Minister under the name Harold Saxon. The Master turned the Tardis into a paradox machine, maintaining a global paradox. The paradox opens the first cracks in the universes for you to slip through. After that disaster is fixed, Martha leaves and the Doctor encounters Donna again.

"After some time in the Tardis, Donna's timeline is altered by an extradimensional being and it causes a causality collapse. You have to get out before that happens or you might die in the aftermath. You'll have to pop into that causal nexus though and fix it, then get out as it disintegrates. Your final jump will come as the darkness is coming. Stop the stars from going out.

"Later I'll tell you a bit more about the things you'll have to do, more details, but that should sum up the crucial events." River finished, still looking pensive, trying to decide what she could and couldn't say.

"What causes the stars to go out?" Rose asked.

"I can't tell you. But it happens in every universe, not just your home one. It will also happen in the wrong causality."

"And when do I get to see the Doctor?"

"Not until you don't recognize the Earth's sky."

"Gee, could you be a little less cryptic?"

River laughed, "Sorry sweetie, I do have timelines to protect. Spoilers." She added with a wink.

Rose tried to glare at her but River's smile was infectious.

"Now I think you and I should start working on the designs for the cannon, don't you?" River asked.

"You mean you don't know how to build it?" Rose asked.

"Not exactly, you didn't tell me, which means I didn't tell you. So we figure it out together. But we're both brilliant, so it shouldn't be to bad and I know the theory behind it." River smirked.

The remainder of Rose's visit was spent discussing the theories River had and some general concepts. Rose came back to her body and immediately rolled over and fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own. Sorry, I would say I wish I did, but I'd never come up with plots as good as the real writers do.**

_Author's note: First thing, I got a review I couldn't reply to asking if there is a pairing in my story. Yes, yes there is. It is definitely Doctor/Rose, it will just take a while to get them back together. On that note, I finally managed to get Rose out of Pete's World! Yay! It will happen in another 20,000 words or so. _

The rest of Rose's week fell into a pattern. Her mornings were spent researching, drawing up plans, and working through formulas. Then lunch with Mickey and Jake. Then she would spend time reviewing her conclusions and memorizing them to show to River later. In the afternoon she'd go to her parents house and play with Tony and chat with her mum, spending time with the family she knew she'd be leaving behind. River insisted that the first cracks would be developing soon and they needed to be ready. She was also sure that Rose would feel the cracks somehow. Her visits to River were mostly centered on the plans for the dimension cannon but they still made time to work on Rose's mental abilities and, of course, fun. Rose got to know River. The older woman told her about her adventures as an archaeologist, at least the ones that didn't involve her and the Doctor. River seemed to have a knack for finding trouble that rivaled Rose's own ability.

"So you can travel the way I'll be able to, as well?" Rose asked one sunny afternoon over iced tea in the garden.

River shook her head. "No, I use a vortex manipulator. My Tardis abilities are limited to languages, understanding the Tardis, and a connection to you."

"Oh."

"You, Rose Tyler, are completely unique."

* * *

The night before Rose was due back at Torchwood, Jackie Tyler answered a knock at the door to her home, not long after Rose had left.

"Mickey! This is a surprise, come in, come in, you plum."

"Thanks Jackie." Mickey said as Jackie took his coat. "I need to talk to you and Pete." His voice was uncharacteristically serious.

Jackie paused, her eyes searching his face. Slowly, she nodded. "Why don't you have a seat in the sitting room? Pete's up putting Tony to bed. I'll see if he's done, shall I?"

As she bustled off, Mickey walked through the house confidently. He'd been there often enough that he felt comfortable, despite the grandeur and the size. He hated to worry Jackie, but this was serious. He snagged the remote as he sat down and turned the telly on, flicking through the channels until he found a football match. He settled in on the comfortable sofa to wait for the parents of his best friend. His life hadn't been complicated until that time traveling alien had dropped into it, but he couldn't complain a whole lot. He had a job that he loved, more time with his gran, a nice place to live, and good mates. It was only times like this that he regretted it.

As Pete and Jackie walked into the room, hand in hand, Mickey switched off the telly and sat up straight.

"Mickey, good to see you." Pete said with a small smile.

"Boss." Mickey replied with a brief grin and a mock salute.

"I'm guessing you have news for us and I doubt it's good." Pete said as he sat in a large chair opposite Mickey.

"It's Rose. Something's wrong, she's acting funny."

Pete nodded his agreement.

"What d'ya mean acting funny?" Jackie squawked, indignant.

Pete looked at his wife wide eyed. "But, surely you've noticed, she's been acting oddly all week."

"She seemed perfectly normal to me." Jackie protested.

"But that's just it." Mickey interrupted. "She's been too normal, old normal." He took a deep breath, "Jackie, this week she's been _happy_."

There was a brief silence as that sunk in.

"Oh." Pete said softly. Of course, she seemed strange to him because he'd never seen Rose truly happy. To Jackie though, her daughter was back to normal.

"And you think that means something's wrong, do ya?" Jackie demanded. "Maybe she's just feeling better."

"I think we both know better. She isn't just gonna forget about the Doctor like that." Mickey insisted. "Jackie, I saw her smile this week. A real smile with her tongue stickin' out an' everything."

"Do you think this has something to do with her accident?" Pete said.

Mickey shrugged. "I dunno. But it might have something to do with this." He handed Pete a few sheets of paper he'd printed out. Print outs of the same website Rose had read nearly a week before.

"This is just a children's story." Pete said slowly, trying to fill in the gaps. Jackie tugged the papers from his hands and started to read.

"Not one that exists in our world." Mickey told him.

"Does that matter?" The older man asked.

"Bad wolf..." Jackie whispered, meeting Mickey's eyes. He nodded.

"Alright." Pete said, slumping back and throwing up his hands, "I'm confused. Can anyone tell me what that story has to do with Rose?"

"When Rose was traveling with her first Doctor, they landed in Cardiff, on the Rift, to refuel. Rose called me and I went up to meet 'em." Mickey said. "Course, they found an alien plot, a Slitheen in hiding was trying to build a faulty nuclear plant to explode the earth with enough energy to send her off-world. She called it the Blaid Drwg project, Bad Wolf. The Doctor and Rose froze at that. They said they'd heard those words, those same words, everywhere they went. Months later, Rose appeared home again with the Tardis. The Doctor was facing his death and he sent Rose away to keep her safe. Bad Wolf was written everywhere and Rose figured it wasn't a warning, it was a message telling her there was a way back to the Doctor. And she made it back to him, saved 'im."

"Pete, this story, this is Rose's story translated into terms folk could deal with in the past." Jackie added, having finished reading while Mickey was talking.

"But this story has been around for centuries, maybe more than a thousand years." Pete sputtered.

"From what I heard, Rose heard it in 1869 and 200,100. Everywhere in between, too. I don't think time is an issue." Mickey said.

"So you think that she thinks that she can get back to the Doctor?" Jackie said.

Mickey nodded. "It's the only thing that makes sense."

"Does she even know about this story though?" Pete asked, "I mean, you didn't, Jacks."

"She asked Jake about it, last week, when we were over at her place for dinner. I don't think she'd read the story, she just asked if one existed." Mickey said.

"Then how did she find out?" Pete mused.

Mickey shrugged. "Said she heard someone mention it in a shop." He hesitated, "And I did ask her about it." He admitted.

"You plum!" Jackie nearly shrieked, "What did she say?"

"Well, I said I remembered the graffiti everywhere, and said she knew something. She said she'd tell me when she knew more."

Pete stood abruptly, pacing the room. "I don't like this. Not at the same time as her black out. Not with what Dr. Harper said."

"Owen said something?" Mickey asked.

Pete glanced back at him, then at his wife, who was glaring daggers at him. "I didn't want to worry you." He told her, "Not until I knew more."

"She's my bloody daughter! I think that gives me the right to know!"

He winced, "I know, I should have thought, I'm sorry."

She crossed her arms, giving him a look that meant he was going to be sorrier.

"What did Owen say?" Mickey pressed. He trusted the doctor. He'd had to talk him out of his advances on Rose, but otherwise the two got on well enough.

"He said that Rose's brain activity was abnormally high while she was unconscious. Higher than it should have been if she was conscious. He said there was almost no chance that she was unaware during that time."

"So he thinks she was aware of everyone trying to wake her up? Aware of how panicked we all were?" Mickey said, doubt flooding his face. Rose was compassionate, if she saw the distress they were in, surely she would have come out of it sooner. Unless she was trapped but aware, but that still didn't explain why she didn't tell anyone about it.

Pete was shaking his head though. "No, I don't think that's what happened. But something happened and Rose knows what it is, she just isn't telling anyone."

"So we're back where we started." Jackie said.

"No, we know that Rose thinks she can get back to the Doctor and I'd bet money that it has something to do with her accident." Pete said.

"But what do we _do_?" Jackie asked, looking between the two men.

Neither had an answer for her.

"I don't think we'll find anything by questioning her." Pete said slowly, "We've tried that. Mickey said that she'd tell him when she knows more, maybe we should wait for that."

"But the Doctor said it was impossible. That she'd never see him again." Jackie said, "What if she's getting her hopes up for nothing?"

"Not even the Doctor is always right. I think Pete's right, for now we wait." Mickey said.

Jackie fussed a bit more but reluctantly agreed. After saying his goodnights, Mickey made his way home. His worries were, if not assuaged, somewhat eased knowing that Pete and Jackie were aware.

* * *

Safely unaware in her flat, Rose met with River.

They'd moved on from mental shields and were working on communication. Rose and River were able to speak with one another mentally across vast distances through their connection to the Tardis but Rose still needed to perfect the art.

"Can I do this with anyone else?" Rose asked.

"Some other telepaths." River said.

"Does that include the Doctor?"

"Yes and no, you can speak to him mentally, but you have to be touching him."

"When I asked him about his people he said he'd be able to tell if any were left because he'd feel them in his head. Can he feel you? Me?"

"Yes. I'll also teach you how to hide your mental signature. That way neither he nor the Master will be able to sense you. But normally, when the Doctor is with you, he'll be able to sense your presence."

"Should we work on that next, then?"

"Sure, sweetie."

River didn't spend her time without Rose idly either. She worked on designs for the cannon, preparing the journal, and running calculations on the time frame. Pete's world ran faster than their home world which meant that the time when the cracks appeared wouldn't be exactly the same. River wanted to come up with at least an estimate so that Rose would be ready. By the end of that first week, she had an answer, more or less.

"A month?" Rose squeaked.

"No less than a month, no more than six weeks."

"Will we have everything ready in time?"

"I think so. It all depends on when you can start building in the real world." River told her. She wasn't quite certain, but it had to work.

Rose nodded. "I'm going to start making a parts list and running it through the Torchwood databases. When I know what we have, I'll know where to start."

"Good plan. You also need to start working on your Tardis abilities."

"I thought that's what we're doing!"

"No, no, the travel-through-time-and-space part. And you can't practice here." River said sadly.

"Why's that?"

"This world isn't real, with the right mindset, you could change the laws of physics. I could just as easily disappear and reappear as you could. This will be the hardest for you, since I can't really guide you through it."

"But you know a little, right?" Rose begged.

"A bit. Rose, this is where it gets dangerous, you have to be careful."

"How dangerous?"

"If you lose control, you could end up anywhere, any_when_, you could even end up stuck in the vortex."

"But you know that I've done it, it happened."

"Time is in flux, Rose. Promise me that you'll be careful. Start small, space jumps only until you get the hang of it."

"I can do that. I promise. So, how does it work?"

"You know, maybe you met J.K. Rowling, because it's an awful lot like apparating." River said with the wink that usually accompanied the word 'spoilers'.

"Really? I love Harry Potter." Rose giggled.

"I know." River smirked. "So, you take a step forward and pivot on one foot, thinking about twisting out of space and into the vortex. Once you're in the vortex you think about the time and place you want to be. While you're doing that, you have to be in contact with the Heart of the Tardis inside you."

"Why do I get the feeling that this will be a bit more difficult than it sounds? And, believe me, it sounds difficult enough." Rose said miserably, her full lower lip beginning to tremble. Her journey depended solely on her ability to shift through space and time and it was never looking more impossible.

"Rose," River moved to place her hands on Rose's shoulders and looked directly into her eyes, "I believe in you. More than anyone else. You can do this."

Rose hugged the other woman fiercely. She had just the right words. River held her just as tightly for a long moment before stepping away.

"Shall we get back to work? We have a lot to do."


	7. Chapter 7

Once again in her sturdy Torchwood uniform, Rose smiled as she stepped into the lobby of Canary Wharf. It was good to be back at work. Rose stepped into the line for security and waited patiently, chatting with a few of the security guys. She was one of few people in a good mood that early on a Monday. She took an elevator to the thirtieth story. For the field operatives, this was part of a routine they fell into during training that they refused to break out of pride. Take the elevator to the thirtieth story and run the remaining twenty. It did, she admitted, keep all the operatives in good shape for chasing after aliens. And for being chased; they did a fair amount of each. Field Operations was located on the top floor of the building for quick access to the roof for helicopters and zeppelins. They also had a reserve, express elevator for leaving the building quickly and, in a real emergency, ropes and harnesses for base jumps.

Rose was the first member of her team in for the day. Their five cubicles clustered near the door of her office were all empty. She hoped they hadn't gotten up to trouble while she was away, or worse, been grounded. Her medical leave was bad enough, but if her team was grounded they would be grumpy from a week of paperwork. Her second, Vance, was trusted enough to lead operations. Hopefully they'd been out on at least a few missions. Rose opened the door to her corner office and shucked off her backpack and jacket.

She was able to confirm that her team did get into the field. She grinned as she read over the reports, they shouldn't be too grumpy then. Their last trip out was the day before and it was a simple snatch and grab. Torchwood called them Tribbles for their fuzzy appearance, but the small aliens came from a planet on the other side of the galaxy where they were the equivalent of tree squirrels. The more sentient species on their planet had set up a standing transmat beam for Torchwood to send home any that they found. Somewhere there was a rift linking the two planets and the Tribbles were a daily, if minor, problem. Her team went on retrieval and captured six of the little blighters. Not a bad haul for an afternoon out, especially as no one got bitten.

The field operations division of Torchwood wasn't as adrenaline filled as Rose had first expected. They had five teams of six in main operations each led by a captain. The whole division was overseen by Commander Davis. Each team had a scheduled training time every day. The forty ninth floor was the training compound. There were six trainers so that each member of the team could work one on one as needed.

The main task of the operatives was to sort through news reports and call-ins to find incidences of alien activity. Those with suspect activity were reported to the captain of the team, who passed them on to the commander if he or she agreed. The commander then handed out assignments based on the team's capabilities and recent activity. Commander Kurt Davis was fair and levelheaded. He knew each of his people and their talents. All of the operatives respected his decisions. The teams took turns on weekends. Two teams at the office and a third on call. At night there was a shift of scanners, as the teams called them. They watched reports to see if anything unusual happened and called in to the commander if something was urgent.

Most of the other branches were trained in combat and operations as well, in case of emergency. They reported for intensive training every six weeks so they could be called in for the largest threats. Large parts of the science and accounting departments were exempt from this, but every man and woman in Torchwood had some degree of defense and psychic training.

Rose quickly scanned the reports queued in her bin from the day before. Two of the five seemed worth checking out. She walked them to the commander's office as the first members of her team arrived, breathing a little heavily from their run up the stairs.

"Rose!" Lucy cried, dropping her things at her desk and rushing to her captain for a hug.

"Captain." Brennan said with a grin and a cheeky salute before he too gave Rose a hug.

Lucy was a few years older than Rose and despite the hard line of their work, retained an optimistic shine on life. It could fool you though, the slim woman was tall with a dark pixie cut and held a black belt in most forms of martial arts. Brennan Simmonds was Jake's cousin and it showed. By education, he was a mechanical engineer with a gift for aerospace. His specialty was repairs to damaged spacecraft to help crashed visitors get off world again.

Rose smiled as she hugged them back; it seemed she'd been missed.

"Alright, you two. Work to do, I have to drop these reports off with Kurt." She said as she pried their arms off her.

They padded obediently back to their desks like puppies as Rose walked on.

Once back at her desk, Rose checked her email. One from her dad, welcoming her back to work. One from Owen, reminding her to come to medical if she felt poorly at all. Pete forwarded her a very exciting message from the Mursagi ambassador Rose had helped with negotiating a peace treaty between Mursag and Rettlfirce. He was inviting Rose to a ball in celebration of the first anniversary of the treaty. The ball was coming up in what Rose calculated to be about three weeks. There was a note attached from Pete saying she was approved to go, and the Mursagi would send transport. She wrote an immediate acceptance. Maybe on Saturday she and her mum could go shopping for a dress. Though, she did have quite a few that her mum insisted she couldn't wear again from the multitude of parties she'd been forced to over the past few years. With all the press following her, Jackie forbid her from wearing the same dress twice. But that was on Earth, it wouldn't matter on another planet. And besides, she needed the weekend to practice Tardising.

"Hey Rose, it's your turn to pick up lunch." Jake said, sticking his head into her office.

"Hmm? Yeah, 'course." She said, looking up from a report on increasing alien tourism in southern London. She, Mickey, and Jake were all captains and devised a schedule for who was responsible for lunches. Whatever takeaway the buyer wanted was the rule. Rose frowned slightly as she returned to the report, that area of London shouldn't be a big draw for tourists. She added the report to the suspicious stack. She turned her mind back to lunch. She glanced at the clock. Her team had training from ten to noon, just before lunch. It was almost nine-thirty and she had no idea what she wanted. She opened the Torchwood newsletter and scanned the restaurant recommendations column. Rose laughed aloud. A new restaurant had gone in down the road, Bad Wolf Baguettes. They served sandwiches on homebaked baguettes and the review claimed they had the best chips in London. That sounded pretty good to Rose.

"Seriously, Rose?" Mickey asked, staring at his wrapped meatball sub like it was going to bite.

Rose smiled her tongue touched grin. "New place, it was recommended in the newsletter." She said, stretching her slightly sore muscles.

"What's wrong, Mick?" Jake asked. "You like meatball subs."

"Nothing. Nothing is bloody wrong with the bloody sandwich." He muttered darkly, glaring at Rose. Oh, she definitely knew something.

Rose spent the afternoon checking her list against the Torchwood database of acquired artifacts. She found almost everything she needed. She chewed on her lip as she thought. Some of the missing pieces were critical, but she knew almost exactly what they looked like. On a whim, she launched her internet browser and searched "Bad wolf 3D plotting." A London based company immediately popped up. They did advanced three dimensional printing in both plastic and combinations of metals. All she had to do was send them computer mock ups. They guaranteed printing within the week. It was perfect. She'd have to go over designs a bit more thoroughly with River to assure there would be no errors, but the cannon looked feasible. As her dad had given her permission to use the Torchwood labs to tinker after earning her degrees, gaining access wouldn't be too much of a problem. It was the when that she worried about. Weekends definitely, but she would also have to sacrifice some of her sleep cycle and work in the evenings. At least until she mastered time travel. That would be risky, having two of her in the same city at the same time.

"_You can't go back in someone's own personal timeline."_

The Doctor reminded her in her head. Rose shook her head, last time she'd done that, she'd nearly ended the world. Maybe she would visit River every other day once she started building. That was a better plan though she would be sad to see less of her friend. Her heart twinged, the other woman was probably bored and lonely too. For most of her life, River had all of time and space at her disposal. Now, trapped in one building and it's surroundings, however lovely, would be devastating. Ok, so maybe short visits to River on days she stayed at Torchwood to build and long ones on other days.

"Whatcha workin' on Rose?" Mickey asked from the doorway. Rose jumped, too absorbed to notice him walk up. That in itself was unusual, Mickey thought, Rose was hard to startle these days.

"Just checkin' to see if those scramble Praxian gamma converters were cataloged properly. The Doctor used one of those to cause an explosion once, I don't want that to happen here. Who know what else might go off." Rose lied smoothly.

"Right, well, we're all heading home. Are you comin?"

"Is it really that late? We didn't get a single trip out today." She pouted.

"No doubt Kurt wanted to make sure you were up to it first."

"I was 'up to it' a week ago." She growled.

Mickey chuckled. "Yeah, sure. C'mon, let's get you home."

Rose shrugged into her jacket and tucked her notebook back into her backpack before following Mickey out the door.

Rose called Jackie as she waited for her takeaway to be delivered. They chatted casually for a bit. Rose told her mum about the Mursagi ball she was going to and Jackie told her everything Tony had gotten up to during the day. They finished their conversation with Rose agreeing to have dinner at the mansion on weekends indefinitely. Rose knew they'd only have between four and six weekends before she'd be gone. So little time. It terrified her as much as it excited her.

She wolfed down her curry as soon as it arrived, hoping she wouldn't pay for that later, and went to see River.

She greeted the other woman with a long hug.

"I'll still be able to come see you from the other universe, right?" Rose asked.

River blinked a few times. "I imagine so, I hadn't thought of it before. It's funny, at the Library, you were mentioned twice and the Doctor didn't know. When I died, more or less, I asked him not to tell you. My whole life the Doctor knew how I was going to die and I could sense it, a little. Whenever he looked at me, there was always something a little wistful about it. But never with you. Maybe that's why."

"Probably. When else was I mentioned?"

"You will tell Donna to tell me something. Except she doesn't know that it was you."

"Oh goody. What did I tell you?"

"You told me to have fun." She looked at Rose's blank face and smiled. "A while before the Library, you told me that when I meet the Doctor and he doesn't know me, I should have fun with it. Be as mysterious as possible, flirt a bit, tease him a little. And if I needed him to trust me, tell him something out of one of your stories."

"Did you have to tell him something?"

"Yes. He was being very stubborn. I don't know how you get on with that man."

Rose laughed. "What'd you tell him?"

River giggled. Rose blinked at the unexpected sound from the older woman. "Lots of planets have a north."

Rose grinned. "Did it work?"

"Oh yes. But he was very confused."

"So I told you to have fun, knowing you were heading off to get stuck here?"

"It was a bit odd. I wondered if I was changing time. Especially as my crew was killed off. One. By. One. You said something else though, and I think it was a reference to this place."

"An' what was that?"

"Nothing that can be remembered is ever truly lost."

"You know, I'm looking forward to the day when I get to be the cryptic one."

"Sweetie, that was you, being cryptic." River laughed.

"Doesn't count, you told me I'd say it so now I have to say it."

River raised an eyebrow at her. "Should we get started then?"

They set to work on the designs again. Rose went over the specific pieces she needed fabricated. She still had drafting software on her computer from university, she could begin the drawings at home.

She was back home earlier than she expected; it was only ten. She could work on the designs for the parts she needed for an hour before she needed to sleep. Although she was no longer arriving in her body exhausted since her telepathic abilities were getting stronger and easier, the hours at Torchwood required her to get quite a bit of sleep.

Most of the rest of the week passed without incident. Well, as much as it could working for Torchwood. Rose and her team helped a lost merchant home, dealt with a Tribble infestation on a scale Rose hadn't seen before, and stopped the alien drug trade running in south London that was causing the unusual amount of tourism to that area. The more unusual one was straight out of a soap.

Reports of armed aliens in the middle of Trafalgar Square swamped the office late Thursday afternoon and Rose, Mickey, and Jake were all ordered in with their teams. They arrived to find an argument had turned into a standoff and was about to devolve into a shootout between two groups of aliens, obviously from the same planet. While the Torchwood teams surrounded the area to prevent casualties and keep the press out, Rose stepped in to negotiate between the sides. She was grateful to have the translation matrix working again for her as none of the aliens spoke English and they were all tense and peeved. It was all very Hatfield and McCoys, Rose thought. The two groups were, in fact, families that had been feuding for generations. Wealthy families. They were on Earth for a destination wedding that would join the two families and stop the feud. The argument had started with the couple to be married disputing the proper order of the courses at the wedding feast. As more and more relatives joined the argument, the topic fell back onto the old grievances which quickly caused the escalation. Their shimmers were set aside as the families prepared to solve their problems the old-fashioned way. The couple had walked away from their families in disgust and were sitting dejectedly on a bench watching the scene play out. Rose spoke with them briefly and found that they had decided together on an order for the courses.

After an hour of walking between the two sides, Rose finally convinced them to remember why they were seeking the marriage in the first place and to leave the past behind them. The Wookie-like aliens put their shimmers back on, shook hands with each other, then Rose, and swore on their family honor not to cause any more trouble on Earth before going on their merry way. Rose decided that every sci-fi movie was based on something alien.

Rose, gulping down water to ease her dry throat from all the negotiation, was glad that Torchwood had beat the press to the scene. The teams had managed to keep them from so much as seeing Rose and threatened to confiscate any cameras they saw. The tabloids were desperate to get pictures of the young Vitex heiress in the role of 'super spy'. Though Torchwood was no longer a secret organization, an air of mystery and almost dread still surrounded it that made people not want to look into it too deeply. To Rose, it was spaceships crashing into Big Ben all over again. The things that were right in front of them were ignored in favor of a more comfortable lie.

"So." Mickey said when they were back at the office, leaning in her door frame.

"Hello, Mickey. As you can see, I'm writing a report on today's incident."

"Now, I was wondering about that. Mostly when you learned to speak Wookie. Secret Starwars marathons?"

Rose sighed, as glad as she was for the languages, it wasn't the most best for it to be shown in front of everyone.

"The Tardis translation matrix Mick, it gets inside your head and translates stuff."

"I traveled in the Tardis too and I couldn't make out a word they were saying."

"Well I traveled longer."

"So you've been able to do that all this time and you never used it until now?"

Rose sighed. He really was being a pain about this. "Mickey, I promise you that it's because of the Tardis. I absolutely promise."

Mickey glared at her, his arms crossed. "Something's up with you Rose, and don't even try to pretend there isn't. I can tell. If you don't want to tell me, fine. But don't treat me like an idiot." He turned his back and walked away from her.

She rubbed her eyes. How would she even begin to explain? It could wait, she decided, a little longer.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: The characters and settings do not belong to me and I gain nothing but personal satisfaction from their use.**

_Author's note: Sorry this took so long, I moved countries so there was some upheaval. Enjoy!_

* * *

As excited as she'd been to be back at work, it now seemed confining and Rose was anxious for the weekend. Thank god it's Friday, she thought as she stepped into Torchwood the next day.

She was barely in the door of her office when Commander Davis pinged her.

"Tyler, suspicious sighting in a warehouse down at the docks. Take your team in, I'll send coordinates to the cars. Double time."

"On my way, sir. Team, suits." She called as she strode from her office, snagging her gear from the rack as she walked purposefully to the express elevator. Her team crowded around her, shifting the bulky gear as the elevator dropped quickly to the garage. They all slipped the subtle earpiece communicators into their ears just before they reached the bottom level. Rose's comm had two settings, one to talk to her team and one to the Commander.

"Any more details, sir?" She asked as they slid into a Torchwood standard armored SUV.

"Not much. Reports of strange light and odd noises. Several watchers reported someone entering the building but never leaving. Be careful."

"Noted, sir. We will take every caution. Tyler out." She switched back to the setting for her team. "Not much information to go on. Strange lights and noises, possible disappearances. We're on double time."

Her team nodded. Vance, who was driving, flicked on the lights and siren that would get them through London quickly.

The warehouse had long since been abandoned by the owners. Rust streaked the metal doors and panels were missing from the roof. Through the gaps in the roof they could see flashes of colored lights.

"Vance, Lucy, and James, circle the building, look for external damage and any other entrances. I want one of you walking backwards. Check in every minute. Go. Brennan, set up the scanner, I want to know how many life forms we're looking at. Eliza, use the seismologer, scan for trap doors and tunnels." Rose ordered her team. She studied the building briefly before pulling out the caution tape and cordoning off the drive in. The building appeared to have two stories, though the top floor was most likely a loft. From the number of stacks sprouting through the roof, she imagined that there was a fair amount of equipment in the building. Large machines of some sort or another. They could limit both space and visibility inside.

"Checking in." Vance said over the comm.

He repeated it every minute, without fail until they returned to Rose. Vance was very by the book. Reliable, but he found it difficult to improvise in unfamiliar situations.

"Report." Rose told the three scouts.

"The far side has large sliding doors, big enough to move large machinery, and a single man door. No sign of damage or forced entry but all the doors appear to be unlocked." Vance told her.

"Brennan, life forms?" She asked.

"It's reading six and a half."

"A half?"

"Yes, Captain. I'm not sure how that is but I've checked it three times."

"Eliza?"

"No apparent underground entrances."

Rose chewed her lip. Three exits on two opposite sides of the building. With a complete unknown situation, she didn't like to split up her team, but she couldn't afford to leave exits uncovered until she knew what they were dealing with. She growled. It could be hostile enemies or it could be frightened tourists.

"Two groups, same as before. Vance, you'll come in from the other side on my mark. Try to come in as quietly as possible. Guns and torches out. One gun in each group should be set to lethal, the others at stun until we know more." The other three nodded and trotted around to the other side of the building.

"Set." Vance said from the far side on the building.

"Eliza, you have lethal, Brennan and I will take stun. No one shoots unless I give the go ahead." Rose took a deep breath. "3...2...1... Mark." She said as she slid through the cracked door, sensing her team behind her.

The warehouse was lit by an eerie red light with soft bursts of green. The light was merely a glow with no discernible source. In the torchlight, Rose made out stacks of dilapidated crates around the edges of the building and large boiler tanks in the middle.

"Captain we have a spaceship." Vance whispered over the comms.

"Where?" Rose asked softly.

"Above."

Rose looked up. Sure enough, there was a dark mass floating close to the ceiling. The edges of it were sharp and distinct, the shape distinctive, but Rose didn't know it. A door was open from the ship, spilling out the light. It opened onto the edge of the loft.

"Vance, your team to the base of the stairs, we're going up."

With Rose in the lead, the threesome crept sideways up the narrow staircase, keeping their backs against the wall. As Rose stepped onto the open loft, she wished desperately that the Doctor was there, or River, since Rose had certainly never seen the creatures in front of her before.

They were the kind of black that absorbs light with glowing, triangular green eyes. Their bodies were smooth and fluid without apparent joints or bones. The eyes were the only feature Rose could see but the shape of the face was different from a human. It curved out to a point before forming a chin. Rose couldn't count them, they were too dark, but there were at least four. She could see four pair of eyes. One lay on the floor and two others sat, limbs sprawling awkwardly, behind a standing one.

"Please," The standing one said, reaching out a hand, "We are injured and lost."

Shaking off her discomfort, Rose took half a step forward to introduce herself.

"Rose, get out." River's voice said in her head. "Get out. Get out now!"

"Everyone out!" Rose yelled, turning to run down the stairs. A hissing sound followed her and she glanced back to see the inky masses gliding towards her, their green eyes pulsing. She turned fully, aiming her weapon at them. She could at least delay them enough to get her team out. To her surprise, they stopped, flinging up their bendy arms to protect their head. The torchlight, she realized. By instinct she still had the torch and weapon aiming together. She walked as quickly down the stairs as she could backwards before sprinting for safety.

"Half-meditation..." River's voice echoed faintly in Rose's mind before fading away.

Outside, Rose's team was forming a defensive position at the SUV.

"We're clear," Rose told them, "They can't stand the light." They all relaxed, standing from their defensive crouches, and lowered their guns.

"What now?" Vance asked.

"Give me five minutes." Rose told him before jogging around to the other side of the building. Once out of sight, she stopped and sat, slipping easily into a half-trance, aware of both the world around her and the one in her mind.

"River?" She called mentally.

"Rose! Are you okay?" Came the answering cry. River sounded almost panicked.

"Just fine. What happened?"

"You wanted me there and suddenly I could see what you saw. We'll discuss it later. Right now, you need to deal with those Firtux."

"Is that what they are? I've never seen them before."

"Yes, they were originally scavengers, preying on the almost dead, but they moved on. They lure prey to them pretending to be injured before capturing them and draining them of life energy. They can live almost indefinitely if they have enough life energy."

Rose felt sick, she would have led her team straight into that trap.

"It's not your fault, Rose." River reassured her.

"Their weakness is light?" Rose asked.

"Some wavelengths. Red won't harm them, and most greens, but most of the wavelengths in visible light will kill them with enough exposure. A few seconds of sunlight would do."

"Thank you, River, I'll see you later."

"Stay safe, sweetie."

Rose stood and jogged back to her team. They were, to a man, glaring at her.

"That was stupid." Lucy told her.

Rose shook her head. "I had to double-check something. The Firtux can't leave the building now that it's light outside." She switched her comm settings.

"Commander this is Captain Tyler, we're going to need a helicopter."

"A helicopter? Tyler, you're already at the site."

"Or a zeppelin. We have extremely dangerous and hostile enemies with an aversion to light trapped inside a building. We need to airlift the roof off."

Half an hour later, a quiet zeppelin emblazoned with the Torchwood 'T' hovered overhead. Thick cables with electromagnetic clamps were lowered onto the roof where they were activated with a soft clang. The winches tugged away quickly and the zeppelin glided to side, exposing the building to sunlight.

Once more, Rose and her team moved cautiously into the building and up the stairs. In the loft were six petrified Firtux and one groggy human, an older man half drained of energy who was staring at the aliens turned to stone with a kind of horror.

"Commander, the threat has been neutralized. Tyler out."

* * *

"So," Rose said as she flopped into a chair next to River, "That was different."

"Different. And unexpected."

"Any theories?"

"I've been spending so much time in your head recently it may have amplified the link. If we were in the same universe, it wouldn't be very unusual for us."

"Whatever it was, I'm glad it happened. Thank you, River. You saved my life and the lives of my team."

"Anytime, sweetie."

Rose left after a long session pouring over the plans for the cannon, scanning desperately to find anything they may have missed. If River's time prediction was accurate, it was unlikely that Rose would have much time to refine and test the machine. Rose returned home to finish the designs, pushing late into the night, glad she had the weekend off. She wanted to send them to the fabricator first thing Monday morning and she knew her weekend would be busy.

She gladly switched off her alarm as she fell into bed well past midnight. She curled up loosely under the covers and dreamed of the Doctor.

* * *

Saturday dawned slowly on Rose as she became aware of reality gradually. First she heard birdsong outside her window, then she felt the warmth of the sunlight on her face, then the light that lit her eyelids, before she finally opened her eyes.

Ever since she was forced away from the Tardis, she couldn't bear to close the curtains if she didn't have to, having lots of windows was the best way to approximate a space that was bigger on the inside. Her bedroom had a large window on one side and a glass door opening to a balcony on another. It was perfect. Stretching and smiling, she crawled from the warm haven of her bed to meet the day. Over a steaming mug of tea as she waited for her breakfast to cook, Rose planned out her day. She needed to spend quite a lot of it practicing her Tardis abilities. She was also almost out of food and she was expected at the Tyler mansion for dinner. She sipped her tea as she tried to decide on a second place for her practice. In her flat would be fine, no one would see her stepping and spinning like an idiot if it didn't work or vanishing and reappearing when it did. But she wanted a second place in case she messed up the timing, she didn't want to have two of her in the same place. It couldn't be too far away either, if she ended up stuck, she wanted to be able to get home quickly, she decided, ruling out Dårlig Ulv Stranden. She decided on one of the abandoned council estates where they'd recently dealt with an alien crash. The empty buildings were tall and surrounded a courtyard that would be perfect for landing in.

She ate her breakfast and dressed quickly. It was a nice day for early spring, but it wasn't warm like the eternal summer in River's world, so if she would be outside for any period of time, she would need a jacket. Smiling to herself, she slipped on the Tardis blue leather jacket her mum bought her for Christmas. For luck, she thought.

Her flat wasn't cluttered but she moved all the furniture she could to the side, clearing a landing pad. She stood in the empty space, trying to wrap her mind around her task. River said she needed to access the Heart of the Tardis while still aware of her surroundings which wasn't something she'd tried before. It was much easier to examine her mind while in a meditative state. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, resisting falling into the trance, she probed into her mind. The warm, glowing, golden Heart and the haunting song that led to it were elusive and slippery with reality pressing in around Rose. She chased them through her consciousness. Every time she thought she might have found it, she found herself with empty hands. More than an hour later, she opened her eyes, nearly growling in frustration. Her legs and feet ached with not moving. She stretched carefully, working out the cramps in her muscles.

"_The more force you strain with, the harder you will find it to relax." _

The somewhat cryptic words of her meditation teacher washed around her as she massaged her calves. She paused, she'd struggled with meditation at first, trying to force it to come to her, but that wasn't how it worked. She'd had to relax and let it come to her. Chances were, this was the same. The harder she strained to hear the Tardis' song, the harder it was to hear.

She walked a few laps around her apartment, finally regaining feeling in her legs before stopping in the same spot as she had before. This time, instead of desperately chasing after the song, she waited with her mind open until she heard it. She let the beautiful, soulful melody wash over her, consume her, and she softly hummed along. The song grew louder as she waited and the golden light hovered on the edge of her thoughts. Rose forced herself to stay calm and the swirling tendrils crept closer. She shuddered with a sudden surge as the Heart of the Tardis flooded her consciousness. Slowly she opened her eyes.

It was as though a thin, golden fog had washed into the room, but at the same time, it was more fluid than that. Rose could see faint ripples and eddies in the haze. She wondered if she was looking at time itself. Cautiously, she checked her watch and noted the time. If she accidentally jumped in time, she wanted to know about it. Steadying herself, she took a step forward and spun, trying to twist out of space. She landed with an ungraceful "oof" on the floor, the gold receding from her mind. Yup, she thought, mentally popping the 'p', she had a lot of practicing to do.

A dozen or so attempts later, Rose collapsed on her sofa, hugging a pillow to her chest. She was getting nowhere. What was it River said? Twist out of space and time. What would that feel like? The golden tendrils still clinging to the edges of her awareness flung a memory at her.

_It was 1942 and the sound of planes and bombs and Glenn Miller was all around. Jack's easy, false smile that promised so much but lied about it all as he asked her if she could make an offer on his space junk. He finished scanning for alien tech to find the Doctor and placed one of her hands on his wrist before slamming his other hand onto his vortex manipulator. Her stomach dropped as her body felt squeezed and compressed while spinning out of control. She staggered a bit as she felt solid again._

"Oh no." She groaned. If traveling was going to feel like that every time, she was not going to be happy.

She took a break and walked down to the shop to restock her refrigerator. She ate a light lunch. If she was going to experience that horrid feeling, she didn't want to do it on a full stomach. She was at least getting better at making contact with the Heart of the Tardis. Even then, not attempting anything, Rose could feel the golden presence on the periphery. A step in the right direction.

Rose checked her watch and prepared herself for another attempt. She braced herself against what she was sure would be an uncomfortable trip and the Heart of the Tardis faded from the front of her mind. One limb at a time, Rose consciously relaxed every part of her body before relaxing her thoughts and listening for the song. It trickled back into her awareness, slowly building until the creek became a stream, then a river. Rose smiled and waited just a moment longer so she could just rejoice in the feeling of the melody. Achingly beautiful, full of hope and longing, sorrow and joy, it was just so alive. Then it flooded through her. The river Rose was standing in, with its steady, gentle current pulling at her ankles turned in one moment into a tidal wave and Rose could do nothing but be swept along. She could feel the song in her bones. With confident movements, she took a step forward, spun, and vanished.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I make no profit or gain from the use of these characters who belong to the BBC.**

_Author's note: Well, this chapter is a lot longer... Y'all got lucky. This chapter also marks the point where more than half of what I've written is posted. Wahoo! Enjoy._

* * *

Rose wasn't sure she existed anymore. She didn't feel anything, not air, not clothes on her skin, not even her own body. Did she have a body? She didn't have eyes, so it wasn't seeing, but she could, sort of, sense her environment. The chaotic swirl of red and blue shot through with golden threads surrounded her. And she could sense, no, more than that, feel. The only thing she could feel was all of time and space happening at once. And she existed in all of it. Her thoughts slowly coalesced. She remembered who she was and her body formed, suspended in the intoxicating swirl of the vortex. Then she remembered why she was there and what she was trying to do. There was no need to reach for the golden Heart, it enveloped her. She thought about the open courtyard of the empty estate and, though she had looked at her watch just before she jumped, she could feel the time, the exact moment, that she disappeared, and she focused on that. Her stomach dropped in what was now a familiar fashion as she appeared in the courtyard, but it was nowhere near as miserable as the vortex manipulator had been.

Blinking against the sudden sunlight, Rose shielded her eyes and looked around. She made it, she really made it. She whooped with laughter that refused to stop. Her laughter echoed from the buildings around her, amplifying the sounds that turned to sobs. She was going to make it, she was really going to be able to leave. To go home, to the Doctor. The enormity of it crashed on her all at once and she fell to her knees, gasping for air around her sobs. As the sobbing subsided, she chuckled thickly. Her father was a multimillionaire, she made six figures a year, and where does she have her breakdown? In an abandoned, derelict council estate. Some things never change.

She stood, pulling back the damp locks of hair clinging to her face and wiped away the moisture on her cheeks. Only once her jacket was straightened and the dust swept off the knees of her jeans did she prepare for her journey home. It was easier the second time; both letting the Tardis sweep through her mind and reassembling herself in the chaos of the Time Vortex. Standing back in her flat, she realized that in some ways it was easier than she expected. In the vortex she could feel time and space in a new way. Once in the vortex it was easy to get where she wanted to go. Instinctive even. But that feeling of simultaneously not existing at all and existing across all of time and space was exhausting. After just the two trips, Rose needed a nap. She moved her furniture back into place before setting an alarm and crashing on her bed fully clothed.

An hour later Rose scrubbed the sleep and dried tear tracks from her face and put on a light layer of makeup. Time for dinner with the family.

After dinner Rose turned down Pete's offer of a car to take her home as usual, but decided to take a shortcut instead of the underground and bus like she usually did. She walked a fair ways away and stepped behind some tall shrubs. She let her mind get taken over by the Tardis and stepped into the vortex. The time she spent in the vortex was definitely shorter and no where near as exhausting, Rose was glad to find. Happiness in small victories, she reminded herself.

She worked on the drawings to send to the fabricators long enough to call her mum and tell her that Rose was home safely before heading to see River.

"I did it!" Rose crowed, flinging her arms around her friend. "Space travel, no time." She grinned.

"Good work, sweetie. How was it?"

"Exhausting. Being in the vortex is overwhelming."

River glanced at her curiously. "I think..." She began slowly, "I think with more practice you'll spend less and less time in the vortex. Nanoseconds even, so long as you have a destination in mind."

"Really? That's the best news I've heard all day."

"Yup. When I traveled with you, I don't ever remember being in the vortex. Just a bit of a twirl and a pop from place to place."

"Huh. I'll keep working on it."

River smiled softly. "Rose, have you bought a journal?"

"Yeah." Rose said, she'd pulled the blue book out of its case a few times since she bought it but hadn't written anything in it yet. She was waiting for River to tell her what it was for, but Mr. Swarton was right, it was... special, somehow.

"Good. I think it's time we go over what you have to do before you go back to the Doctor."

Rose nodded and River pulled something from a pocket that was definitely bigger on the inside and set it on the table.

Rose stared at it. "But- but that's my journal." She sputtered.

River nodded. "I've seen it a few times over the years, I know what it looks like. Now look, I've written down each of the places you have to be and when with a brief description of what to do. But I'll need to tell you more about each one."

"How is writing it all down going to help? I'll just have to copy it into my journal, right?"

"That's a possibility, but I'm hoping we won't have to."

"What do you mean?"

"Hopefully, we'll be able to set up a psychic echo."

Rose opened her eyes back in her flat, her brain rattling from the psychic echo. There was a good reason for the name, Rose thought as she stood shakily and staggered to her desk. Her balance was thrown by the noise in her head. She wasn't sure what the noise was exactly, but it wasn't anything she could understand. It was a bit like static halfway autotuned to a melody reverberating through an opera hall.

With a trembling hand, she pulled her diary from its case. The moment her fingers brushed the cool leather, the noise in her head drained away. Rose decided to take that as a good sign as she finished pulling the journal out and opened the cover. Where there was only blank paper before, there was now writing. The first dozen pages were covered in River's neat handwriting. Rose grinned, happy to not need to copy out everything River told her. Her smile slipped as she looked over some of the entries. River told her it would be difficult. Some of the things she needed to do would be heartbreaking. She slammed shut her eyelids and closed the book a bit more gently. That was the future and she would take it as it came. She crawled into bed and fell asleep.

She spent her Sunday practicing hopping. The night before as she was drifting off, she decided she needed a word for the time-and-space moving she could do and decided on hopping. River was right, it did get easier. The time in the vortex was getting much shorter, to the point where she was nearly instantly herself when she entered, rather than scattered into particles of awareness. She made her first time hop as well, stepping forward five minutes. Her connection to the Heart was much stronger, pulsing and singing in her mind at all times. She was still quite far from being able to hop whenever she wanted. The golden light slipped away from her sometimes when she tried to call it.

The night before, River had assured her that, like the Tardis appearing, her vanishing act would be noticed by few. After a few hours practice, she was confident enough to try hopping to other places. Around lunchtime she hopped just around the corner from her favorite chippy. She glanced cautiously around her as she appeared but despite the light, nearly constant foot traffic of London, no one seemed to notice her strange method of arrival. Rose grinned to herself and shook her head as she followed her nose towards her favorite food. Stupid apes, she thought fondly. The mind subconsciously making excuses for something they didn't want to know.

Rose finished drafting the parts she needed fabricated before she headed to see River. The fabricator was only open during usual business hours which was slightly problematic for Rose, as she needed to be at Torchwood during that time. She knew that the moment she stepped out of the building something would go wrong and she would be needed. The rules of the universe it seemed. Rose chewed gently on her lower lip as she thought. It wouldn't take too long and as long as she kept away... She sighed. She'd have to time hop to Bad Wolf Creations. For an hour or so, there would be two Rose Tylers in London.

River and Rose worked on plans to modify Rose's Torchwood gun to meet the requirements for her first task back in her home universe. It would be a quick adaptation for her gun so mostly they just talked. Rose tried her best to help alleviate River's boredom but she knew she couldn't be there all the time. Both of them were confident that Rose could get to that world once she was back in her home universe but River was adamant that it would be too dangerous during the first task. She couldn't afford to be that unaware of her surroundings. Rose grumbled but agreed. She'd miss her friend too.

* * *

Rose was on edge the whole time she was dropping off the plans and the half hour back at Torchwood while another version of her was across town but it passed without incident and there were no reapers in the sky.

Rose quietly requisitioned the other parts she needed from the Torchwood tech storage. She slipped quietly into the computer codes and back dated the requests, spreading the timing out so it looked like many of them had been on hold for a while, before her blackout. She froze after she finished and double checked each one, making sure that she hadn't requested any before they actually arrived at Torchwood. She breathed a sigh of release when she finished, finding no inconsistencies. Most of the parts were small components salvaged from larger things and many had been at Torchwood for a long time. Which meant that they were sitting on dusty shelves deep in the archives of the tower. Rose would have to track them all down.

At the end of the day, Rose stayed in the building, heading to the labs instead of the exit. The Torchwood laboratories were extensive. Although Pete tried not to repeat the errors of the other Torchwood, a majority of the resources of the organization still went into alien tech. However, this version was both cautious about the things they played with and willing to use the discoveries to help the public as much as they could. Of course, some things were just too advanced to release just yet, but little things made their way into the average person's life. There were several large labs where tests were done and larger things examined, but there were also a plethora of small workrooms for the scientists to work on projects on their own or in small teams.

Rose found one of the rooms deep in the archives that was evidently little used. She changed the sign on the door, marking it as in use, and cleaned out the dust before setting off in search of her parts. The rumbling of her stomach interrupted her as she carried the last load of them back to the workroom. She looked carefully around the room and, once she was certain there were no cameras, hopped home.

* * *

The rest of the week passed as quietly as it could, working field ops at Torchwood. Rose's team ran a few ops that all went smoothly. Rose, out of the hearing of the other members of her team, took full advantage of the translation matrix on a few of them. Other times she was forced to use her gun, avoiding the new setting she added, to stun aliens bent on taking over. Once stunned and in custody, they were picked up by the Shadow Proclamation. Only once was she forced to kill. Her job was hard and she was forced to make hard decisions, but each time she had to kill, or order a kill, Rose felt she died a little inside. Travel with the Doctor made her leery of guns in general as much as she appreciated the need for them. She always gave enemies a chance though. Members of her team had long since learned not to question that. Still, Rose looked forward to the time when she was back with the Doctor and could leave her gun behind.

At lunchtime, she ignored the studying looks Mickey fixed on her, choosing instead to joke and laugh with her coworkers. Many of them had noticed the shift in Rose's attitude as well and often blinked in surprise when she grinned or laughed fully, having never seen that level of happiness from her in the year and a half she'd been there.

She spent three evenings that week in the workroom, determinedly soldering wires and fitting together the components of the cannon. Some of it had to wait until she could pick up the other pieces, but some she could do then. She also cut and shaped the outer metal casing and the internal structure that would hold each component where it needed to be. The progress was steady.

Her visits with River were more relaxed than the first two weeks. River helped as Rose discovered problems with the cannon, making the minor adjustments to the plans they'd drawn. But most of the time, they just spent the time together. River showed Rose through the extensive gardens surrounding the mansion. She'd designed and planted them along with Anita and Proper Dave. The three of them still tended to them. CAL gave them a sort of perpetual summer. In a world unbound by the usual laws, the weather didn't have to affect anything other than their comfort. Sometimes they'd have a week of snow, or the occasional rainstorm just for variety's sake, but mostly it was warm and sunny.

They hiked to the nearby river for a picnic. It was a good respite for Rose, she was able to ignore the pressures of her real life, and it was a highlight for River. Having Rose in her life was normal, though the frequency was unusual. Really though, some of River's earliest memories were of the blond woman.

* * *

Rose's team was on call for the weekend. For Rose, that meant that she could practice space hopping, but time was out, since she needed to be reachable at all times. She divided her day by level of boredom. She practiced hopping first to various places within the city until she got tired (and bored, and possibly dizzy, there's only so much spinning one can do) then hopped directly into the workroom in the labs at Torchwood Tower. She stayed there until lunch then practiced hopping again. She switched between the two several times and by the time she appeared behind a large shrub outside her parents' house, she'd made considerable progress with each.

On Monday afternoon, she had to cross her timeline again to pick up the parts from the fabricators. She was less uneasy the second time, since the first hadn't ended the world, she just had to be careful. It had to be done though, she left on Thursday for the Mursagi ball and wouldn't be back until sometime on Monday. River's one month deadline was starting to loom very close.

That evening as she worked on the cannon in her workroom, she stumbled across a problem after only an hour. The nth gamma wavelength capacitor she'd dug out of the bowels of the archive had a different wiring system than the one she and River included in their designs. Rose growled at it with frustration, realizing that they'd used a human design from several centuries further along in the plans rather than the alien one that Torchwood had. She needed to connect it to the new pieces before she could do anything else. The circuitry was similar and Rose was fairly sure she knew which wire she wanted, but if she was wrong... Then the first time she started the device it would, best case, short circuit, and worst, explode in a fireball and emit gamma radiation. There was no way around it, she had to check with River and it had to be right away.

She settled herself on the floor and slipped away.

* * *

"Director Tyler!" A man called as Pete walked through the lobby of Torchwood Tower, heading home for the day. He was one of the only people left, his final meeting had run late.

He turned to the voice and was beckoned over to the front desk by the security aide working there.

"Can I help you?" Pete asked, his voice tired but patient.

"It's about Captain Tyler, sir."

"Not again..." Pete mumbled, running a hand over his cropped and thinning hair. "Tell me." He said, louder.

The security guard, a man in his thirties with a name tag that read 'Steve' raised his eyebrows at Pete's initial reaction, but quickly returned to business. "Last Friday, I noticed something unusual with Agent Tyler's traffic in the building. I checked the cameras to see if I missed it, but I didn't. It felt like a pattern, things I'd noticed earlier in the week catching up. So I checked it for a few more days. Monday and Wednesday, the same thing happened, and again today."

"What happened, exactly?"

"Well, she entered the building in the morning, did the usual missions, lunch runs, etc. but she never left the building for the night. I think we have a potential security problem if she's leaving the building from another door that we don't know about."

Pete froze. "Show me." He said and followed the man back to the camera rooms.

"There, she's leaving her office, but she never comes into the lobby." Steve said, gesturing at the screen.

"But she definitely enters the elevator." Pete said, looking at a different camera feed. "Thank you, Steve, I'll take over from here if you want to go back to the desk. Call for me if she does turn up."

"Yes sir."

Pete settled into the chair and skimmed his hands over the keyboard. "Let's see what you're up to, eh Rose?" He said to himself as he pulled up the footage for the elevator bays of each floor. He cursed the Torchwood security for the lack of cameras in the elevator. The unfortunate truth was that field agents, security forces, and a few other types of personnel used the elevators to change clothes on the move so they limited the cameras to just outside the elevators. By the time he checked the footage for the thirtieth floor, he was nearly ready to give up the whole idea, but Rose's secret had been wearing at him for too long.

Pete groaned as he finally found her exit point, realizing he should have anticipated it. Rose was in the basement laboratories. So she was studying something... or repairing something. He twisted his wedding ring as he thought. Rose may not be telling anyone about this, but she would still (mostly) follow the rules. He opened the database of the Torchwood archives and ran a search for any item she had requisitioned. His guess was the dimension hoppers that stopped working after the battle with the Cybermen and Daleks. He nearly fell off his chair when the results came back. She'd placed holds on nearly two dozen items, mostly small component parts. He scanned over the list. The system was supposed to flag the science department head if someone placed more than three holds within a week. The dates on the requisitions were spread out over the past several months, far longer than Rose had been acting oddly. And, Pete thought, none of them would have caused her blackout.

"Oh..." He breathed. Rose had taken some computer science courses at university and Torchwood taught their field agents basic hacking techniques. The date stamping part of the computer systems was likely only lightly secured since it wasn't sensitive or valuable and it was part of a user submitted form.

He used the cameras to track Rose into one of the project workrooms adjacent to the archives. He still didn't know how Rose was getting out of the building, unless she just stayed so long that Steve didn't check that far on the tapes and it switched to the night guards at the front desk. In any case, it was time to check on his daughter. He glanced at his watch then pulled out his phone.

"Jacks? I've been held up by something at work, not sure how long it'll take, so don't wait on me."

"Is there something big happening?" His wife asked.

"I don't think so, just something I have to look into. I'll see you later, love you."

"I love you too, hurry home."

"Will do."

"Did you get it sorted, sir?" Steve asked as Pete walked back into the lobby, heading for the elevators.

"I believe so, thank you for your help."

"Anytime, sir."

As he delved further into the laboratories, Pete remembered why he didn't often go all the way down there. The inventory room was large, well lit, and open, but further in things changed. It was a fairly new building but the archives stretched underground into old tunnels. The area with Rose's workroom was darker with old, brick walls and a feeling of dust in the air. Pete didn't remember exactly which room Rose was using so he had to peer into a few of them before he found her.

The large workbench, which dominated the far wall, was scattered with tools and wires. A focused work light illuminated the object in the middle of the table. The metal casing was open, the device still in pieces, but Pete could see it was the shape of a rugby ball, several times larger. He studied it from the doorway briefly before he caught sight of his daughter sitting on the floor, her eyes shut.

"Rose, Rose." He called as he shook her shoulders gently. Her body was limp. She'd been sitting supported by the wall and he was careful to position her back that way. He stepped back, uncertain. He should, he knew, take her up to medical and have them give her whatever it was that woke her the last time, but he hesitated. Studiously, he examined her. Her breathing was regular, her color fine, and her heart rate normal. And there was something about the way she was sitting... Of course, it was standard meditative position. Which meant that whatever was going on, there was a chance that it was intentional. He made his decision. He'd give her half an hour. After that, she'd go to medical. He sat in the chair at the workbench. He pulled out his phone and launched his favorite game.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: The settings and characters of this story are the intellectual property of the British Broadcasting Corporation. I use them for my own amusement and gain no financial or commercial gain from their use.**

_Author's note: Another longer chapter. Question for you all: I've never liked the name for this story but I couldn't come up with anything better. Now I have. Is it better to change it or leave it? On another note, I will probably add another chapter later today, but that may be the last chapter until September as I will be living in the woods without internet._

* * *

Rose was very glad she'd checked with River. Having the resources of the largest library in the universe was certainly something she could get used to. The wire she'd been planning on connecting to the phase regulator was, in fact, the wrong one. After Rose drew out what the part they had looked like, River too, was unsure. It took them some time to find the part in the computer since they had to guess which species made it originally and then they had to sort out the circuit diagrams. But, it was well worth the time Rose thought as she bid River goodbye with a tight hug.

Her stomach rumbled as soon as she was back in her body. Evidently she'd been gone past dinner. She stood slowly, stretching out the ache in her legs from sitting on the floor for so long.

"Care to explain what's going on?" Her dad's voice asked from inside the room.

She froze and turned her head slowly, eyes widening as they fixed on Pete sitting in front of the dimension cannon.

"Um. Hi, Dad." She squeaked. "What are you doing here?"

"Funny. I was going to ask you the same thing."

"You go first, I have a feeling my answer will take longer." Rose said cautiously.

"The security guard at the front desk noticed that you haven't been leaving the building. He figured we might have a security breach."

"Oh. I should have thought of that." Rose mused.

"Your turn." Pete said firmly.

"I've been working on a project?" Rose hedged, avoiding his eyes.

"That's not going to cut it." Her dad told her. "Does this have something to do with the Doctor?"

Rose started, her eyes flickered back to his.

"We're not stupid Rose, we know something's up."

She sighed. "Yeah. This will take me back to the Doctor."

"So all of a sudden you found the knowledge of how to build a machine to take you to another universe? And what does this have to do with you going unconscious?"

Rose winced. "It's... complicated. Can we go somewhere else to talk about this? This room isn't very comfortable for conversation."

Pete nodded. "My office."

"One minute." Rose unraveled the paper copies of the plans for the cannon and marked the necessary wiring changes before she forgot. "Alright, let's go."

Rose fidgeted nervously in the elevator on the way to Pete's office. It was definitely worse than a trip to the Head's office; her dad and her boss at the same time. She was just fortunate that her mum wasn't there too. She wanted to talk to Jackie on her own terms and had been writing down ideas for how to approach the topic for a week now.

"So." Pete said as they sat in the armchairs in his office.

"So." Rose repeated. This must be how River had felt. She had a lot of information without any good point to start the explanation.

"Were you going to tell us?" Pete asked suddenly, filling the silence.

"Yeah, 'course. Probably on Wednesday, before I leave for Mursag."

"When are you leaving?"

"That's it? No fuss, no 'Rose you should stay here with your family', just when?"

"Rose, Mickey, your mum, and I have been suspicious for weeks. You know what tipped us off? You've been happy. Happier than I've ever seen you. That's all I want for you." Pete said slowly, ending awkwardly with a shrug.

Rose smiled weakly at him. "Thanks, Dad." She said quietly.

"So?"

"No less than two weeks, no more than four."

"And then you're gone? Forever?"

"No. Not quite."

"I thought the Doctor said it was impossible."

"The Doctor usually says something is impossible just before it happens. We found an entire planet that was impossible." Rose added with a smirk. Though she had, for the most part, believed him this time. It took River Song to help her see a way back.

"Can you wait a bit longer?"

"No. It has to be then."

"Why?"

"Cracks in the skin of the universe. Like before I s'pose, makes it easier to get through. And I can't be late."

"So the dimension hoppers will work again?"

Rose shook her head. "No, not yet. These cracks are only in the other universe, to leave this one the dimension cannon locks onto slight, unclosed gaps."

"How do you know there are cracks in the other universe then?" Pete asked

"Right. That's where things get much more complicated." Rose paused to think but Pete stopped her.

"Then let's leave that for later. Start with the easy- well, easier, things. You said you can come back?"

"Yeah, sort of. I'll only be able to come back twice."

"When?"

"A couple years. Time moves slower over there." Rose said sadly.

"Years? Will you be able to communicate with us when you're coming?" Pete was incredulous.

"No, but you'll know it. It will be when the darkness comes. The stars going out. The dimension hoppers will work then, the darkness will be destroying every universe." That part Rose wished she understood, but River stood firm about not telling her what was coming.

"That sounds bad. Really, really bad."

"Which is why I have to stop it."

"Rose, you keep talking like you know the future."

"Because I do, a bit. Pieces here and there. That's part of the complicated bit."

"So when you go over the first time, will it be dangerous then too? Anything that puts cracks in the universe sounds pretty bad to me." Paternal worry was creeping into his voice.

"Yeah, it'll be dangerous. But it's another thing that I can help fix. That I have to help fix." Rose insisted.

"Then I'm sending a team with you. I'll find people to help you." Pete said firmly.

Rose sighed. "You can't."

"Why not? You'll be able to send them back, I'll just find people who don't have things tying them here, that won't mind being on a mission for a few years."

"First off, good luck. Second, the machine won't work for them."

"What do you mean?"

"The cannon can send me, and only me, across the void."

Pete frowned. "Is that because you're from the other universe? Or you've got that void radiation? If so, I'll send Mickey for sure. Jake too if it's the void stuff."

Rose shook her head. "No, Dad, it's not that."

"Then what, Rose? Why only you?"

"Because of this." Rose said as she stood and took a step forward, twirling on the spot and twisting out of existence. She skipped forward five seconds and reappeared on the other side of Pete's office.

The moment Rose vanished, Pete stood from his chair, his mouth dropping open. A flash of golden light in another corner of his office caught his eye and he whirled as his daughter appeared in the center of it.

"Wha- wha..." Pete stammered as he fell back into his chair.

Rose slumped back into her own. "And now comes the complicated part."

"I think I need a drink." Pete said weakly.

Rose flashed him a cheeky grin. "Sorry Director Tyler, sir. No alcohol on Torchwood premises."

Pete was in no state to appreciate her humor. "I don't suppose you have some other device that lets you disappear like that?"

"Nope." Rose popped the p.

"Rose, I'm trying to follow along with all this and most of it I think I've got, but this... This I just don't understand."

"I know. I'm sorry. There isn't anything about this that's easy. It's taken me these two weeks to figure it all out an' I'm still not sure I understand it all."

Pete frowned. "Great." His voice was hollow.

Rose grimaced as she glanced at her watch. It was past ten now and she wanted to get to bed on time but there was no way she could leave her dad with the information he had now. "I'm not completely human, not anymore." She said in a flat voice.

"Well, that... explains all that," he gestured to the part of the room where Rose reappeared, "at least a bit. But not how."

Rose settled down for a long explanation. "When I was traveling with the Doctor, my first Doctor, we got into trouble with some Daleks, thousands of them with no way out. It was thousands an' thousands of years in the future so the Doctor tricked me back into the Tardis and sent me home. But I-"

"Hang on, Mickey told us this part." Pete interrupted.

"Mickey did what now?" Rose fumed.

"Last week Mickey came by the house and told us he thought something was up and it had to do with the Doctor because of a kids' story."

"The Bad Wolf." Rose said with a faint smile, regaining her calm. She remembered being the Bad Wolf now and spreading her name across space and time. She didn't remember everywhere she sent it, of course, but she understood it better.

"Yeah, that one."

"What all did Mick say?" Rose asked.

"That 'Bad Wolf' was a message that you could make it back to the Doctor, so you did and you saved him."

"Right then. So the Tardis isn't just a machine. She was grown, not made, and she's very much alive. The Doctor says she's an eleventh dimensional being which is how she can travel in time and space. She's telepathic too, gets in your head in all sorts of ways. Translatin' stuff and making rooms just how ya want them and everything. Once before, part of the Tardis opened up and an alien we were fighting looked into the light spilling out and the Tardis reversed her timeline and reverted her to an egg, gave her what she wanted, a fresh start.

"So I figured if I could connect with that part of the Tardis, called the Heart of the Tardis, she could help me get back to the Doctor and save 'im. Mickey and Mum helped me pull open that hatch with a tow truck and it worked. It worked a bit too well. I absorbed a large portion of the Heart of the Tardis and the Time Vortex itself. I used that to destroy the Daleks and send the words 'Bad Wolf' across space and time. It was too much for my brain to handle though, all of time and space happening in my head, so the Doctor took it out. But he missed some. He didn't notice because funneling that power from me back into the Tardis killed him, forced him to regenerate. That set him a bit wonky for a bit so he never noticed that part of it was still there, just locked away where I couldn't remember it or use it.

"He also didn't realize that I held onto it at least ten times longer than he did before it started killing me. It also added a bit to my genetic structure which allowed me to handle it at all. So now I'm human plus. Human plus Tardis, I suppose. I have a bit of the Tardis in me and now it's been unlocked and I can use it again."

Pete blinked as he processed all the information Rose gave him. "And the device?"

"The dimension cannon provides a direction to a gap and a bit of an extra kick for me to get out of the universe. But the actual traveling is something I have to do on my own."

Pete nodded. He was taking the news better than Rose expected. Anyone other than her family would have sectioned her long before.

"You said it was locked away, that you didn't remember it. How did it get unlocked?" Pete asked.

"I unlocked it. With a little... guidance."

"Another piece to the puzzle." Pete muttered.

"And this one has to do with the blackouts." Rose informed him.

"Good. Tell me."

Rose tapped one finger against her lips as she thought. "Alright, so humans can perceive four dimensions; length, width, depth, and time."

Pete nodded.

"There are lots of others. So the multi-verse, existing as we can see and measure is a bit like a bunch of balloons tied together and traveling along time in the same direction, though some move faster than others. The spaces between the balloons is the void. The other dimensions are less contained though. The important dimension is one that can be perceived on a psychic level and it overlays multiple universes. Not sure how many.

"Anyway, the first time I fell unconscious, I was pulled into this other dimension, but it isn't a physical dimension, so only my consciousness was transported. Are you following so far?"

"I think so."

"That dimension is, in essence, a virtual reality created by the largest computer in my home universe. In it are five people who only exist now as brain waves saved to the computer. One of them is a woman called River Song. She's a time traveler who knows both me and the Doctor but I'd never met her before. She's been helping me design the cannon and teachin' me how to use the Tardis part of me."

"So you just randomly fall unconscious when this woman wants to talk to you."

"Oh, no. The first time was accidental and subconscious. Now that I'm aware of it, I control my travel there."

"I'm not sure whether that makes me feel better or worse."

They sat in silence for a long time more.

"You really need to tell your mum."

Rose ran a hand through her hair. "I know."

"Soon."

"I know."

"Dinner on Wednesday then?"

"Yeah."

"I'll invite Mickey and Jake too."

"Good, sounds good." Rose said glumly. She was more like the Doctor than she'd thought. Part of the reason she'd been putting off telling her friends and family what was happening was because she didn't want to say goodbye.

More silence.

"Your device, what did you call it? Cannon? It's almost done?" Pete asked.

"The dimension cannon. I hope to have it finished before I leave for the ball. Then I have to build the remote."

"When you come back... How long will you stay?"

She looked away. "A few days." She whispered. "A few days, then a few days gone, and a few days back."

"Then, that's it? You're just... gone?"

"I can't stay, Dad! I just- I just can't." Rose wasn't going to let him guilt her. "I'm not happy here, and I don't think I would be. And if I don't go, then everyone on earth in that universe might die. And a few years later, the universe would die and then this universe and every single other one. So I have to go." She told him firmly before adding softly, "I want to."

"Well then. I suppose that's it." Pete said, resignation flooding his voice. "Oh, Rose..." He said as he caught the tears welling at the corners of her eyes. He stood and pulled his daughter into his arms, letting her sob softly into his shoulder. "Let's get you home to bed. Okay?"

She sniffed and nodded into his shoulder.

"Do you want a ride home?" He offered.

Rose gave him a watery smile. "I can be there less than a second after I leave here if I go my way."

"Now that's efficient travel." Pete gave her a wink.

Rose laughed a little. "Thanks, Dad. For everything."

"Always. Now get to bed, Captain Tyler. See you in the morning."

She gave a quick salute before hopping back to her flat and heading straight to bed.

* * *

Rose was finding it harder and harder to focus on her work. She itched with the desire to flee to the labs and finish the dimension cannon but also a dread of leaving this life behind. While she had been, and still was, devastated to lose the Doctor, the fresh start afforded to her was nice. She had experience and knowledge of her own now as well as a confidence born from leading a team. It was true what she told Pete, if she stayed she wouldn't be truly happy. But she could have been content. At least for a while, until those she loved grew old around her and she stayed young. She would miss her mum, and dad, and Tony. Mickey, Jake, and her team too. But even that was not enticing enough to keep her from going back to the Doctor.

Mickey and Jake exchanged a multitude of looks during lunch Rose seemed down again in a way she hadn't for weeks, but they said nothing. Rose was glad for it, not wanting to explain that it had to do with the half finished letter of resignation open on her computer. She also didn't tell them that she had made a side trip on the way to pick up lunch that included brief stops in 1923 New York, 1601 London, and Beijing in 1294. She had to sneak the time travel trips in whenever she could and cursed herself for not being able to stay and explore. She had a sleep schedule to adhere to after all. There would be plenty of time to explore when she was back home, she reminded herself. It was just important to make sure her hopping skills were developing. The larger jumps in time were still less accurate but her time in the vortex was getting infinitely better.

Rose cursed her emotions. Worry that the cannon wouldn't work properly, nervousness about all the things she had to do, excitement to go home, sorrow for leaving her family; each feeling ran through her stomach, causing it to flip and contort. Everything that she'd been able to ignore when it was just her and River, she thought bitterly, was wreaking havoc on her now.

By the end of the day Rose was pale and peaky. She'd run her team through their operations as smoothly as usual with her usual blend of intuition and caution. As a result, only one thing exploded. Rose had smiled faintly at the fireball engulfing the small (and empty) storage shed that had housed a damaged spaceship. All this had started when the Doctor blew up her job, now it was her job to blow things up. Some things come full circle.

* * *

She finished the dimension cannon that night. Her breath caught as she slid the switch on and she waited for the lcd screen to come to life. The air whooshed free of her lungs as the display lit up and numbers and symbols appeared just as they were supposed to. Rose started the calibration cycle and recorded every bit of information the device spat out. She grinned at the results. Everything appeared normal to her, though she'd double check with River. She hummed idly as she reshelved tools and gadgets before hopping home. Reluctantly, she set up the psychic echo for the results and went to see River.

Rose leaned against the front door as she pushed it open, trying desperately to keep her feet beneath her. It wasn't so bad as the first time. There was, after all, less information there than the pages of assignments from River. And, Rose thought, it might just be easier to store numbers than letters, especially inside a computer. To her relief, River rounded the corner carrying a stack of paper, which she offered to Rose. Rose grasped the stack and sighed as the din inside her head ceased.

"It's done!" Rose grinned at her friend.

River hugged her joyfully. "You are brilliant, Rose Tyler."

"You too, River Song, I couldn't have done it without you."

"Then there we are; two brilliant, complicated creatures of time and space. Come on out to the back." The curly haired woman said, leading Rose through the now familiar mansion. The patio table was covered elegantly by a white cloth that stirred ever so gently with the wind. It was pinned in place by the silver bucket of ice with the large bottle of champagne sticking out.

Rose smiled, her trademark tongue in teeth smile. "River, I like the way you think."

"There are certainly benefits to living in a world without money. It's so easy to get one's hands on 19th century champagne here." River said with a smile that almost reached her eyes.

Rose knew that, while River really was pleased that they'd finished the dimension cannon, it meant that Rose would be leaving soon and wouldn't be able to contact her for a while. At least potentially, they weren't sure how time would line up in a year that never happened. So River would go back to her confined routine. Their lives were so complicated and so incredibly intertwined.

They sipped the champagne as River read over the results of the calibration.

"This all looks good, sweetie. And if I just... here, and here.. and then..." River trailed off into mumbles as she took a pen from her pocket and started running calculations on a sheet of paper.

"River dear? Full sentences are nice." Rose said.

"Aha! Two weeks and three days. Plus or minus three days." River announced, setting the pen down triumphantly.

"Ya know, that'd be a lot more helpful if I knew what you were talking about."

"The time frame for the cracks to appear. I've narrowed it down."

"So soon..." Rose murmured.

River stood and wrapped her arms around Rose's shoulders from behind, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "You'll be brilliant."

Rose leaned into the contact. "I miss him so much, River. Sometimes it feels like I'm going to be sick just because of how much I miss him." She whispered. "How am I going to survive being so close to him for so long and not be able to go to him?"

"Because you're strong and you know it's right."

"Is that enough? It doesn't feel like it."

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I'm so sorry."

Rose wiped away the moisture at her eyes. "So many tears. Let's celebrate, yeah?"

"Yeah." River sat back down and raised her glass. "To new beginnings."


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's note: Here it is y'alls, hope it doesn't disappoint. While I haven't been able to update in a while, I have still been working on this.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, themes, or items in this story. I receive no financial gain or benefit from it._

Wednesday afternoon Rose put the final touches on her letter of resignation and printed a copy. Shoulders back and head high, she carried it to Commander Davis' office as though it was a normal report. She hovered just inside the door as he finished a phone call.

"Tyler." He said as he finished the call, his eyes searching her face. "What can I do for you?"

"May I close the door, sir? I'd like to keep this private. At least until after I return from the Mursagi ball."

"By all means." He replied, curious as to what had his usually calm captain so worked up.

Rose took a deep breath and steeled herself. "I've come to give you notice of my intent to resign."

"You're joking." His voice was flat. Captain Tyler lived for her job.

"I'm afraid not, sir. I will be leaving Torchwood in two weeks time."

The commander was stunned. He'd expected something along the lines of alien infiltration in Torchwood. Not this. "Does... does..." He stuttered.

"Yes, my father knows." Rose hazarded a guess at his question.

Commander Davis nodded dumbly. "Is there any chance of you coming back on board?" After all, she'd left before and returned after attending uni.

"No, not this time."

"Ah. Well. You'll make an announcement next week?"

"Yes sir."

"Very well. Good day then, Captain Tyler."

"Good day, Commander." Rose left his office.

She left the door open in her wake and the few passing people were surprised by the blank, dumbfounded expression on the face of the commander as he sat at his desk, staring straight ahead at nothing at all.

Jackie Tyler wasn't a fool. She knew something was up the moment Pete told her that Rose, Mickey, and Jake were coming to dinner. She figured it had to do with everything going on with Rose and she figured right. But, she knew that at this point she was going to be told what was going on and therefore she didn't need to press her husband or her daughter to find out what was happening. So she kept the dinner topics light and casual. Mickey and Jake teased Rose about a few of the scrapes they'd gotten into with their teams, a surprisingly large number of which seemed to end with Rose covered in slime. Jackie reminded Mickey of the first alien he defeated, well, they defeated, and that he'd ended up covered in green, slimy, Slitheen guts. Rose added bits to the story as Jake listened in amusement.

"So they were in the kitchen, right?" Rose said, "And the Doctor says get vinegar and Mickey has no idea where to find vinegar in his own kitchen."

"Is that why you always make sure we have a bottle?" Jake asked.

"Can never be too careful." Mickey said gruffly.

"Anyway, Mum takes the phone and starts ransacking the cupboards, starts dumping all his pickles into a jug. Gherkins, pickled eggs, pickled onions, you name it. So there we are, trying to stop World War III, and what does the Doctor say?"

Mickey grinned wolfishly, "You kiss this man? Just goes to show though, he had it bad for you right from the start."

Rose turned to face him and stared at him with the big brown eyes that bewitched him in another life. Now though, they seemed a bit more golden than before. Mickey resisted the urge to shiver. Her eyes seemed more than they ever had before. He was used to them looking deep but now they looked more like endless. The look she gave him was odd. Definitely curious, but also doubtful, like she didn't quite believe him but didn't want to fight over it. Then she launched into a story of one of her adventures with the Doctor.

Mickey and Jackie had heard most of her stories before. Mickey had been there for quite a few. But since landing in Pete's World, Rose hadn't shared any of her stories. This one was new to both Jackie and Mickey though, so it happened after they'd left Mickey in Pete's world. With Tony at the table, Mickey knew Rose lightened the situation, but the way she described the television sucking people's faces off was enough to put Mickey off of telly for a bit. Tony giggled as she described it, but underneath his giggle was a bit of uncertainty and he was sure to avoid the telly for a bit too. They all laughed at Rose scolding the blustering Mr. Connelly about the flags and the Doctor's enthusiasm for edible ball bearings.

After dinner, Jackie put Tony to bed while the others sat in the sitting room quietly.

"Now then." Jackie said when she returned, "Why don't we start with what's really going on?" All eyes turned to Rose who focused on her hands in her lap.

"I'm leaving. Leavin' this universe." She said quietly, fighting to keep her voice even. Glancing up after she spoke, Jake was the only one who looked surprised. From what Pete said, Rose knew the other three had their suspicions for a while and compared notes.

Jackie was, predictably, the first one to break the silence. "When?" She asked, her voice uncharacteristically quiet.

"Two or three weeks."

"Two weeks!" Jackie exploded, "That's not enough time! What are you thinking, Rose? Just up and running off without givin' us notice? You'll wait a proper month before you go hightailing off to the Doctor, another couple o' weeks won't kill neither of you."

"But they might, Mum. There's something happening in the other universe and I have to stop it."

"You don't know that. It could all be fine."

"I do, though. I know exactly what's happening. I've got no choice."

"And how's that then? All of a sudden you can see the future?" Jackie was indignant.

"No. I met someone from the future, from my future."

That wasn't what any of them (well, excepting Pete) were expecting and three jaws dropped.

"From the other world?" Mickey asked, "You're just hitching a lift back home?"

Rose winced, "Not exactly."

"Well where is this person? I want to meet him before you go swanning off." Jackie said.

"Her, actually. Her name is River Song, but you can't meet her."

"And why the bloody hell not?"

"She's not properly in this universe."

"So she did that projection thing like the Doctor? Did she only stay for two minutes too? Two minutes and you're packin' up to go?"

"Jacks, I think you need to calm down a bit." Pete interrupted. Jackie was now towering over her daughter, shouting her fury and Pete could see that Rose was about to hit her breaking point and start shouting back. They were too alike in some ways.

Instead, Jackie rounded on him. "And you! You're not surprised by all this. You knew what was going on and you left me worrying again, just like you promised not to."

Pete held up his hands in defense as he backed away. "I just thought that Rose should be the one to tell you and she was already planning to."

Jackie crossed her arms and gave him a glare that could have ignited water. Jake and Mickey decided not to risk their necks and stayed silent, letting Jackie do all the digging for them.

"Mum, it's not like the Doctor's projection at all. I can talk to her any time I want and she's been helping me for the past couple weeks."

"Oh, you can talk to her any time you want but I can't? What's all this about, then?"

"She's not in the other universe, she's not in any universe. Her world exists in a different dimension."

"Would you explain it in bleedin' English?"

"Um. So we've got length, depth, width, and time, right? A point is zero dimensions, stretch it into a line it becomes one, stretch the line sideways into a square and it's two, pull the square upwards into a cube and it has three dimensions, then suspend it through time and it has four. Time is the dimension we're least capable of understanding but those are the ones that we deal with. There are other ones though and River's sort of, stuck, in one of those. But it isn't tied to a universe because our universe as we perceive it is limited to those dimensions."

"But she can reach here" Or... you can reach there?" Jackie's forehead creased as she worked through what Rose said. She'd never cared much for maths and science.

"I can reach there." Rose confirmed.

"But why just you? Why not the rest of us too?" Jackie insisted.

Rose hesitated. Four years before Jackie said the words that broke a bit of Rose's heart and didn't realize how true they were. "I'm different, Mum. I'm- I'm not- I'm not human. Not any more."

"Well of course you are, sweetheart. Me and your dad, we're human an' so are you."

"Really?" She asked bitterly, "Tell me Mum, how many human's can do this?" And she hopped. Same as with Pete, five seconds forward and across the room.

Even Pete, who was expecting it, stared at her with a kind of horror mixed with shock. Rose hated it, hated how they stared at her like she was wrong. She turned away from their eyes and wrapped her arms around her shaking shoulders.

Mickey was the first one to recover. "It's alright, babe. You just let it out." He said as he wrapped his arms around her. She clung to him until her mum pushed him aside.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, sweetheart. You're okay."

Some things are the same right across the universe, the Doctor said, everyone needs a hand to hold. Rose was adding that everyone needed a shoulder to cry on too, and none would work better than her mum's.

"S'rry." Rose mumbled as her tears dried. "I've done an awful lot more crying in the past couple days than I have done for a while."

Jackie steered her back to the sofa and pulled her down, not letting go of her hands.

"But Rose, how?" Mickey asked after a few moments of quiet. Jake was still sitting silently, unsure whether he should be there for this.

"The big, yellow truck." Rose smiled at him. Jake was fond of telling people that Mickey once saved the universe with a big, yellow truck and watching their faces. No one had ever confirmed the story for him and he still wasn't sure whether or not to believe his friend.

"What?" Jake asked, finally finding the evidence he needed.

"I did a bit more than just make contact with the Heart of the Tardis. I absorbed it and I saved the Doctor. I killed thousands of Daleks in the blink of an eye. It was too much though so the Doctor took it out of me. But it had already started changin' me. A little piece of it stayed inside me, hidden. I couldn't remember it. It killed the Doctor though, takin' it out of me. That's why he regenerated.

"As best River and I can tell, that bit was waiting and growing until it was enough to make the final changes. About two weeks ago. Then River helped me unlock it so now I remember and I can use it."

"But what did it do to you? Are you like himself now? Gonna go changin' your face? Two weeks ago, when you fell unconscious? Was that like his regeneration? Did you need tea?"

"Mum, calm down. Breathe. Slowly, there. That's better. River says it didn't so much change me as add. She calls it human plus. I'm not a Time Lord, I won't regenerate. I've just got a bit of Tardis added onto me."

"Hold on, you're part blue-box?" Jake asked, his voice cracking.

"The blue box thing is more of a disguise. The Tardis is so much more than that. She's alive."

"And that's how you get to see your friend?" Mickey asked.

"No... Where River is, it doesn't exist in the physical world. I can't take my body there, I can just send my consciousness."

"That's what happened when you blacked out." Mickey confirmed as the pieces fell into place.

"Yeah."

"So that's not the only time it's happened?" He accused.

Rose flushed. "No, I just timed them better."

"Rose, the Doctor said it was impossible to get back."

She grinned. "I think he needs a new dictionary."

"You can go back with your... disappearing?" Jackie asked.

"I'm calling it 'hopping'. But no, it isn't strong enough. River helped me design a device and I built it. Finished it yesterday."

"Now that you've found a way though, that means you can come back too? To visit?" Jackie pleaded.

Rose shook her head. "I can only get across because the universe is fracturing. Once the cracks close back up I'll be just as stuck there as I've been here. Until they split again. I will be back, but a long time from now and only for a few days."

"When?" Jackie asked, tears in her eyes.

"At least a year. When the darkness comes."

"Cracks in the universe. That means something bad's happening over there." Mickey said gruffly.

"Yeah, and I'm going to help fix it." Rose said, some of her confidence leaking back into her voice.

"Then I'm coming with you. It'll be dangerous. You'll need someone to have your back until you find the Doctor." Mickey said.

The corners of Rose's mouth twitched. "You can't Mickey. Not this time. The cannon only works for me."

"Not this time?" Mickey asked.

"I think... River was hinting at it at least... you come later. When the darkness comes, it affects every universe and all the walls will start to fail. Then you can come. The dimension hoppers will work then."

"Why come back at all?" Jackie was furious again. "You're gone for more than a year and you waltz back in for a couple of days. Oh, hello, good to see you, let me break your heart all over again!"

Rose gaped at her like a fish. Her voice was shaky when she got it working again. "If you don't want to see me then, Mum, I guess I understand. But if I stay there, I'd probably die."

"Well excuse me if I'm not too excited about my daughter leaving me again for that bloody alien. You have a life here, Rose."

"And what of that life when you all grow old and die and I still look twenty years old? What will I have in a hundred years? Two hundred? Or actually, I wouldn't live that long because without me going back, the multiverse would cease to exist in just a few years." Rose hit her breaking point and now she was yelling back at her mum.

"Oh all high and mighty. Can't himself do anything without you then? Needs you to fix all the problems?"

"He needs help, Mum. He's not perfect, he can't do everything."

"Fine. Go then!"

"Fine. I will."

The men glanced at one another nervously, none of them fancied getting in the middle of that fight, it was a battle they couldn't win.

Jackie and Rose stood, glaring at each other, arms crossed and faces set identically for a long minute. Then they flung themselves forward and hugged tightly, crying.

"That's it." Jake said, throwing his hands into the air. "I am never going to understand women."

"I'm with ya there, mate." Mickey added.

"Me too." Pete said. "And that doesn't bode well for your future, does it?"

Soon after, Jackie sent Rose home to pack for her trip with a promise that they'd talk more after she returned from Mursag.


	12. Chapter 12

_Sorry all, apparently my copy and paste skills need work._

**I own nothing.**

Rose's stay on Mursag was wonderful. It was more relaxing than she expected, things always seemed to go wrong when she was around... But the company was pleasant, no natural disasters, and no attacks. Just happy, elegant aliens having a blast. The ambassador was sad to hear that Rose would be unable to return to visit them, but as the Mursagi were empathic, he was happy for Rose to leave for a place that was better for her.

The time away gave her the time and space to breathe on her own and analyze her actions and motivations. She spent a large portion of the extended spaceflight with River, also an added bonus since she wasn't able to see her long on Monday or Tuesday, and not at all on Wednesday. Rose hoped that her mum had used the time to get fully acquainted with the idea. Things with her mum were so often complicated but they had a usual set of components. They'd done the shouting and the crying, the ball gave them the space. Lots of it, and literally- space.

It also gave Rose the chance to prepare for Tuesday morning.

Commander Davis called a division wide meeting and Rose squirmed as everyone from the team captains to combat trainers took seats.

"Good morning to you all. I know there's plenty of work to be done and you lot are good at doing it, so I'll keep this brief. Captain Tyler has an announcement for you." He sat down and folded his hands.

Rose stood from her position at the end of the long table of captains. "I'd, uh, I'd like to thank you all for your continued work, support and companionship here at Torchwood. It's something I'm proud to say I was a part of. Which is why it's hard for me to tell you that I'll be leaving Torchwood next week. I will miss you all." Concise and to the point without having to spill into the details. Rose returned to her seat amid a buzz of voices.

"We will, of course, give her a proper send off. Captain Smith is organizing the potluck for the party, so contact him with regards to what you should bring next Wednesday." Commander Davis said over the whispering crowd.

Mickey winked at Rose.

"You're dismissed."

Rose caught up with Mickey as they were leaving. "Any excuse for a party?" She teased, "Or just glad to be rid of me?"

"Never, Rose. You know I wish things between us had been different, but we aren't the same people we started off as. So yeah, I'm glad you're goin' back to the Doctor. 'Cause you need him, and he needs you, and you don't need me."

Rose bit her lip. "But I'll always want you there, Mickey. You know that?"

"Yeah, I know." He gave her a brief hug and walked into his office.

The moment Rose set foot in her office, she was swarmed by her team and questions.

"Slow down, slow down, I can't hear any of ya!" She yelped at them.

"Why are you quitting?" Lucy pouted.

"I'm leaving. Not just Torchwood, London too." She told them.

"Where are you going?" Vance asked in the flat, blunt tone he always used to cover anxiety.

Rose gave the only answer she could and the look of pure joy on her face stopped any further questions. "Home."

Rose finished the remote for the cannon on Friday. It looked simple on the outside, just an egg shaped ball of metal with one end that twisted off to reveal a button, but the workings were so much more complicated. She had to include a transmitter that could resonate on a frequency strong enough to cross the void and one that only her device would use. Rose very much did not want to find out what having reality unravel around her would be like. Her time working on it kept visits with River short.

Rose and her team were assigned to the weekend shift. Things were dull and moods were low. Her team would miss her certainly, but they were also unsure about their future. Vance was great as a second, but he didn't have the right intuition to be a captain and he knew it. None of the rest of the team was up to it either, which meant someone would be brought in from another team. They weren't sure if Commander Davis would reshuffle the entire division to form new teams or just throw a new person into an established group. Their nervousness made Rose's guilt compound, though she was firm in her resolve. She had to leave.

After work, Rose started packing. Her parents volunteered to take care of her flat, putting it on the market and dealing with her things, but she should get things ready for them. In one corner of her bedroom was a small pile of things to take with her. She had to travel light, she'd be on her feet for a year after all. A few pairs of the sturdy Torchwood trousers, athletic tops in neutral colors, a waterproof jacket, practical spandex knickers, and sportsbras made up the clothing. Hat and gloves for winter. Several water bottles, a pack of nutrient and protein bars, and freeze dried meals for her food. A tiny camping stove and several cans of fuel went next, nestled inside a small cookpot. A full survival kit sat on top containing a well stocked first aid kit, a small pocket knife and a larger survival knife, a compass, an emergency blanket, a compact down sleeping bag, an impossibly thin rain tarp (scavenged from a crashed spaceship), matches, and yards of parachute cord. And, as per River's instructions, a few cans of Tardis blue spray paint. Her journal still sat on her desk but she'd add it before she left, as well as the remote.

River promised she had at least until Thursday, but by Sunday night, Rose could feel something coming. It must, she realized, be the sense River mentioned with the joke about ducking. A very faint sort of nausea lingered deep in her stomach that was more than just nervousness.

When Rose had sold all her science books to university students, given away her household appliances, and carted the box of food supplies to her parents house, her usually spartan flat was nearly completely empty. She had dinner scheduled with her family until she left, so the only food still in her flat was breakfast food.

Her family had come to terms with her departure in the time though they were, understandably, sad to go. Little Tony had sobbed against her legs when she told him she was leaving. He was happy that she got to go on adventures again, but jealous too. Someday he too, would work at Torchwood. Rose hoped that by the time he was there, they were doing more space travel and exploration. She wasn't sure how far into the future her time at Krop Tor had been, but they were connected with Torchwood, she recalled. Tony promised to always remember Rose if she would do the same for him. She gave that promise gladly.

Tuesday after work ended, Rose hopped back to her nearly empty flat carrying the cannon. It was decently heavy and slightly awkward to hold, which made Rose glad she could hop with it instead of lugging it around. She set it down and collected the rest of her belongings, a few days worth of clothes and her rucksack for the trip. Taking the cannon in her arms again, she hopped the whole load to her parents' house where she'd decided to stay until she left.

After dinner and some downtime with her family, which included Mickey and Jake at this point, Rose slipped off to see River.

The two friends embraced tightly. With the party at Torchwood followed by a party her mum insisted on throwing, it was unlikely Rose could visit the next day and any day after could be the day she left.

"Hello, sweetie." River said softly into Rose's hair.

"Hello, River." Rose said as they broke apart. Then she greeted the members of River's crew. They'd interacted only slightly in the month that she'd been there, but enough to break up the monotony of their lives too.

Rose and River walked through the house and into the gardens. River wound them through the hedge maze to the benches in the heart of it.

"Are you ready?" River asked.

"I think so."

"Did you remember to pack a pen for your journal? Enough food? Your gun?"

"Yes, Mum." Rose teased.

River's face grew wistful. "Funny, I remember saying that often enough to you when I was growing up."

Rose sighed softly, she hadn't meant to bring up the tricky timelines. They were sometimes painful for River to dwell on. "You're sure I can't rescue you after the Year that Never Was?"

"No. Because of the reality collapse, anything that happens in the Doctor's timeline before the paradox year or after darkness will be inaccessible to you. You have to wait until you meet my mother."

"Yeah, sorry. I know you've explained it before. It's just, it'll be so hard to leave the Doctor again. Even for you." Rose added with a wink. "I won't regret the time away if it means I can save you though. Not in the slightest."

River smiled gently at her, accepting the sentiments. "Oh!" She exclaimed.

"What? What is it?"

"You're still blond." River said, baffling Rose.

"What?"

"Martha can't know who you are. If you're blond, she might figure it out since a certain captain said certain things."

"Oh." Rose frowned, "I guess tomorrow I'll buy some hair dye, though it'll be a pain to keep dying it for a year... Hang on, I haven't dyed my hair at all in Pete's world, it's still blond!" How had that happened and how the hell had she not noticed?

River grinned before it broke into a laugh at Rose's bewildered expression. "I did tell you that you have some control over your appearance. Just like the Tardis."

"But I've been there ages longer than the Tardis in me has been active."

River shrugged. "Some things bled through. You healed faster from the Macra, right? The Heart was helping with the important things."

"How is my hair color important?"

"The Doctor and the Tardis do love their pink-and-yellow girl." River grinned.

Rose moaned. "And how do I do that, then? Change my hair?"

"Same way as the rest, connect to the heart and imagine yourself with a different color."

"It's been so long since I've been anything but blond... Imagining might be difficult."

"Assemble a transdimensional spatioaccelerator, learn to control the most powerful force in the universe, easy. But what you can't do is imagine yourself with brown hair?" River chuckled.

"Maybe I could go ginger. Make the Doctor jealous." She grinned, "I suppose that might stand out a bit too much, though."

"Whatever you think is best, sweetie." River said, laying a hand gently on Rose's shoulder. "And remember, the most important thing in the paradox year is to keep Martha Jones alive. Well, no, keep yourself alive first, anyway. After those, it's important that Martha grows to see her own worth and strength. Starting off will be hard for her, she doesn't have supplies or foreknowledge or training like you do. She'll need help, but not so much that you're wrapping her in bubble wrap."

Rose nodded. River wouldn't tell her exactly why Martha needed to prove herself so badly, she said it would be apparent fairly soon.

"Got an alias picked out, then?" River asked.

"Yep." Rose said smugly, popping the 'p'.

River didn't bother asking, she already knew what it was. "Do you have any questions?"

Rose hummed to herself as she thought. "That thing with the Firtux, will we be able to do that while I'm walking the Earth?"

"I don't know."

"No." Another voice said from one of the pathways into the maze. As River and Rose spun to face the newcomer, Rose felt another telepathic signature press against her. It was familiar, impossibly familiar...

The owner of the voice stepped out of the shadow of the hedges as they turned, freezing both women.

It was Rose. Another Rose, an older Rose. There was no sign of aging on her face, no graying to her hair, in nearly every aspect she was identical to the younger Rose still sitting beside River. It was her eyes that betrayed the passage of time. The chocolatey brown eyes of the younger Rose were gone, in there place were deep, honey colored orbs. Brown with gold mixed in. They carried a weight in them too, similar to the one reflected in the Doctor's eyes, regardless of the regeneration, though not so heavy. Still, older Rose smiled just as cheekily as her younger counterpart.

"Hello me! Hello Melody."

River sprang from the bench and embraced older Rose. By the name alone, River knew this was a Rose that had gone through her childhood already. "When are you from?" She asked.

"Just after Manhattan."

Younger Rose's eyebrows shot up as River jerked, as if stung. Something big happened in Manhattan. "Why come now?" Younger Rose asked the elder, who smiled.

"Well, I remember myself coming. I'm here to answer a few questions you didn't know to ask and River doesn't have the answers to. First off, the cracks open on Thursday, make your goodbyes count. Second, you can go back to blond as soon as the paradox year is over. Third, don't tell the Doctor that you know River was here or you met me, not until after Manhattan. Fourth, you won't meet River here again, because I'm taking her and the rest of her team out of the datacore today." She finished smugly.

Younger Rose and River both gaped at her. "But how? It's impossible?" River sputtered.

"You really should know better than to apply that word to us." Older Rose said with a wink to younger Rose. "Besides, I'm very clever. Nothing that can be remembered is ever truly lost."

Younger Rose blinked. Those were the words she was to give Donna to tell River in the library.

"Ah. That means more than this place." Younger Rose said with a smile as it clicked.

"Yup." The older Rose agreed with a pop. "Anyway, I'm going to go inside and round up the rest of the crew while you two make your goodbyes." She spun and walked back into the maze leaving the other two staring after her.

"Well, I don't change much." Rose said with a grin.

River smiled back at her before pulling her into another hug. "Keep yourself safe, Rose. And remember, you don't have to do it all in one go, take some time for yourself. You are a time machine."

"Where would I go? Everyone thinks I'm dead. I've got no family to go to, my friends would freak out."

"There's one place you have a standing invitation. Think on it."

"I will." Rose said, though she was still puzzled as to where River meant.

"And you haven't read ahead in your journal, have you?" River asked.

Rose shook her head. River had written out more than just directions in the pages she filled, but she wouldn't tell Rose what all they were. Things she should find out at the right times.

"Good. Sweetie, when things get hard, remember how much you are loved. By him, by me, and by so many others."

Rose felt tears beginning at the corners of her eyes. "I love you too. I'm so glad I'm going to rescue you."

"Good bye and good luck. We'll meet again soon."

"You too. Keep yourself out of trouble this time, I don't want to have to rescue you three times." Rose teased.

River grinned. "Now there's a promise I can't keep."

"I assume, since I told us to say our goodbyes here, that I'm not supposed to come back with you."

"Probably not. This is the last bit of foreknowledge you're going to get for a while."

"But I'm going to keep running into you!" Rose protested.

"Yup. And I won't spoil anything."

"Goodbyes are hard." Rose said after a pause.

"Yes, yes they are. Go home to your family, tell them."

Rose nodded. "Goodbye, River. Thank you." She said around a final hug.

"Goodbye, Rose. It's been wonderful."


	13. Chapter 13

_Disclaimer: The characters of this story are the intellectual property of the BBC and associated writers._

Rose padded down the stairs from her bedroom in the mansion and found her mum in the kitchen, sipping tea.

"Thursday." She said without preamble as she filled a cup for herself.

"So soon." Jackie whispered. "Oh c'mon." She led her daughter into the den and pulled her down onto the sofa where they cuddled together.

They laid in silence, sipping their tea. The last thing Rose remembered before she fell asleep was her mum stroking her hair.

* * *

Commander Davis was evidently feeling generous, Rose thought as she looked at the chaos around her. He told them not to take any of the low level cases that could be put off another day, only respond to immediate threats. Instead, they could, and should, spend the day eating the food everyone brought in, talking to Rose, and playing the childish party games they'd been brought up on. Pete Tyler, coming to the top floor to check in, cracked a huge grin as Mickey's second in command, a huge welshman named Dillon, bent over backwards under a broomstick commandeered for a game of limbo.

"Tomorrow, Mick." Rose had told her friend as soon as she arrived at the office. He nodded and looked grim but said nothing.

Rose spent the day spacing out delicious snacks she knew would be in scarce supply in the upcoming year. Fresh fruits and vegetables, sweets and cakes, all of that would be eventually abandoned for whatever cans they could find and bars of processed nutrients.

"You okay?" Jake asked as he caught her grimacing thinking of it.

"Yeah, sure. It's just, I'm gonna have one hell of a year coming up. I'm going to miss real food." Rose had told her family some of the basics of her mission without going into specifics. Rose didn't necessarily know the specifics either and she suspected River didn't tell them to her less out of concern for spoilers and more because it was going to be horrific.

At the party at her parents' house it was much the same. She spent her time surrounded by friends from uni and Torchwood. She thought of it as storing up good memories for the long road ahead. She had the feeling she'd need many to get through.

Whenever someone asked where she was going, she gave the same answer. "Home." And they all assumed she meant back to whatever foreign country she'd been educated in. They guessed that she had a lover there she wanted to return to. Maybe something happened to him just after she left and she thought him gone? They speculated. Or maybe his family was fabulously wealthy, or noble, and they didn't approve of her. But they could all tell that something changed and wherever Rose was going, it would make her happy. Very few of them realized it meant that she was never coming back.

She made her final farewells to Jake and Mickey at the end of the party. She wasn't sure when she'd be leaving the next day and they had work. The commander wouldn't be happy to be down three captains. Even a request from the director couldn't budge him.

The number of times Rose had said goodbye to Mickey was now staggering and it just didn't get any easier. The boys finally left with tears wiped away from more than one set of eyes.

The next morning dawned clear and bright. Rose blinked against the increasing sense of foreboding she felt. Washing up, Rose was again surprised to see her dark hair in the mirror. Well, it wasn't really that dark. It was about the lightest shade of brown that would still be considered brown. But after so many years of bright blonde, it was a little unsettling. Her mum cooked a full English for the family and they all sat down to a pleasant meal. They didn't mention the elephant in the room.

When they finished eating, Jackie handed Rose a box wrapped in purple paper.

"We want you to have that to take with you." Jackie said.

Inside Rose found a book about the size of her journal. Inside were an amalgam of photographs from their time spent in Pete's world. Tony growing up, Jackie and Pete's wedding, Rose graduating from Uni, the family dressed up for New Year's with the President, her Torchwood team. It was put together with care and love. Further in were pages covered in writing addressed to her from Jackie, Pete, and Mickey. A few crayon drawings were evidence of Tony's contribution.

"That's all the things we wanted to tell you and couldn't find a way to say. You keep that with you, you hear? And remember your family. Because you'll always, always, be my daughter." Jackie said, her voice cracking.

"Rose, I know it was hard for both of us in the beginning, but now, you're my daughter too. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way." Pete added.

Rose took their hands and squeezed them tight in wordless thanks.

With Jackie's help, Rose packaged up as many of the leftovers from the party the night before as would stay edible in a backpack and tucked them into the top of her bag. After a pause, she wrapped up one of the chocolate cupcakes with Tardis-blue frosting edged with ball bearings and added it to the smaller backpack that sat, waiting, next to hers. The backpack destined for Martha Jones. Then she packed a stack of sandwiches and added those to her bag as well.

Her things were in order, all the important things said, and now all they could do was wait. Though Rose was initially taken aback by her future self's declaration of the date the paradox would start, she was glad she didn't have to wait any longer. The sitting and waiting was hard.

Fortunately, Tony got bored very quickly and asked her to play with him. He was still too little to really understand what Rose leaving meant, as many times as she'd tried to explain, so he was the only one not too fussed about her departure. So Rose played with Tony. She helped him act out some of her Doctor stories. Tony was always the hero, of course, which left Rose being the monster. Rose was in the middle of chasing Tony with a green Slitheen mask on when it hit her.

"It's time." She gasped to her parents as the feeling washed over her. Dread, and pain, and loss, and horror flooded through Rose, none of which were _her_ feelings. In an instant she realized they were the feelings of the Tardis, she just echoed them through the bond.

"Rosie?" Tony asked, sticking his head out from underneath the table, "Do you haff ta go now?"

"Yeah, Tony-baloney. I do." She picked him up and sat him on her hip. "I love you, little squirt. Don't forget it."

"I won't." He insisted solemnly, eyes wide. "Don't forget me neither!"

"Never. C'mon, kiss kiss."

He kissed her cheek and she ruffled his gingery hair as she set him down again.

"Mummy." She said, burrowing her face in her mum's shoulder one final time.

"Oh, Rose." Was all Jackie said.

"I love you."

"I love you, too. Be safe." Her mum released her.

Rose turned to Pete and hugged him tightly. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, sweetheart. Good luck out there."

Rose nodded. She slung the large backpack over her shoulders and fastened the plethora of straps. She strapped a plain, black holster with a perception filter in it to her right thigh and slid her modified gun into it. The egg shaped remote went into a pouch attached to the sternum strap of her pack. Rose bounced lightly on her toes. The pack was well distributed and fitting well. It was lighter than the ones they trained with at Torchwood. That meant she'd easily be able to hike all day with it and run with it for at least four hours. She picked up the smaller backpack and carried both over to the dimension cannon. She turned it on, checked the calibration, and started the warm up sequence. She turned to her family.

"I love you. I'll miss you. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." They all said.

Rose pressed her palm down on the big, red, threatening button. She felt the energy field as it crept along her skin. She waited until it engulfed her completely then stepped forward and spun out of space.


	14. Chapter 14

It wasn't quite like her usual hops. Once Rose was in the vortex, there was a pull that she felt all across her body and all the way through it. Her initial instinct was to fight it, but she forced herself to surrender to it and found herself being dragged through the vortex at a colossal speed. There was no air rushing past her or change in the appearance of the vortex to indicate movement, but Rose could tell. Then she felt her particles, her essence divide and scatter. As pure energy, she wisped through the walls of the vortex. Then there was nothing. Finally she was sucked into the vortex again. But, she noticed after her being reasserted itself, that it was a different vortex. It felt different. But even better, it felt like home.

Rose reappeared in the physical world on the edge of a town. The skies were opening and football sized metal spheres were flowing out of the sickly looking crack in the heavens. Directly underneath the crack was a giant, flying aircraft carrier. The Valiant, from what River had told her.

_The valiant child who will die in battle so very soon..._

Rose shivered at the words of the Beast that ran through her head. Still, as far as names went, the Valiant Child wasn't bad. She shook herself. Things to be done. If she could see the Valiant, then chances were she had aimed correctly and Martha Jones would come barreling out of the woods behind her in just a few minutes.

The Tardis key Martha carried as a perception filter allowed Rose to track her. From the vortex, it was simple to look at the path of the Tardis key and Rose appeared in a place Martha would be, just a few minutes before hand. Rose sighed. That was the last time she could hop for a while. Between the satellites and the Tardis, the Master would be able to detect her form of travel if he wasn't distracted. The only two times when she knew he was certainly distracted were the beginning and end of this year. It was the slow path for her.

Rose spotted a lanky teen standing at the edge of the road staring at the sky in shock. She jogged over to him.

"Listen mate, in a minute or so, a woman 'bout my age is gonna come runnin' out of those woods. Her name's Martha Jones. I need you to give this to her, can you?"

The boy nodded, his mouth open. He took the smaller pack from her.

"Great, thanks. Tell her good luck from a friend." Rose checked her watch and jogged off, settling herself behind some bins in an alleyway not far off, so she could make sure the boy followed through.

Sure enough, as soon as she was in place, a tiny dark skinned woman in a dark red leather jacket bolted out of the trees, tears glistening in her eyes. She glanced quickly up and down the road, trying to decide which way to go.

"Er, Martha Jones?" The boy called out timidly.

Martha's eyes snapped to him suspiciously. "Yes?" She said in a clipped, precise voice.

"I was told to give this to you. And tell you good luck, from a friend." He said, holding out the pack.

Martha took the bag slowly and the boy turned and shuffled off, his eyes fixed on the sky again. Martha watched him leave then, once she decided he wasn't a threat, turned her attention to the backpack. She unzipped it slowly and carefully, unsure whether she'd find help or hurt inside. The smaller outside pocket contained a multitool pocket knife, a torch, some twine, a compass, and a thick stack of maps that would cover the world. Each side sleeve held a full water bottle that Martha carefully sniffed before tasting. Inside the main compartment were dark, sturdy clothes that would keep her warm even when wet, a first aid kit, an emergency blanket, a waterproof container of matches and firestarters, and food bars like Rose packed for herself. And, of course, the cupcake, which Martha unwrapped carefully. Her eyes widened at the color of the frosting but she seemed to take it as a sign of good faith. She sat on the curb as she opened up the maps and studied them, planning her route. After five minutes or so, the Doctor's companion stood and took the backpack with her as she started off down the street just as the metal balls descended.

Rose followed behind Martha Jones, doing her best to block out the screams all around her. Her hand itched for the weapon at her side but River was adamant. She couldn't use the gun unless she or Martha were in immediate danger. The same perception filter that shielded the Tardis from curious eyes applied to Rose as well so she walked through the destruction with no one the wiser. It hurt, the devastation caused in so little time. So many people already dead or dying. In the streets, in the shops, in their homes, everywhere there were bodies. Chaos and panic were sparked to life instantly. Rose was surprised there wasn't more violence from the humans though. They looked uniformly too terrified to do much of anything but run and hide.

Through it all strode Martha Jones, head held high despite the tears streaking down her face. She walked into the nearest grocer's and loaded a basket as quickly as she could with food to take on the run. It was smart, stocking up before the Master took total control. Rose monitored from across the shop. Martha grabbed a few cans that would keep, but she knew they were too heavy to take many of. Crackers, protein bars, nuts, dried fruit, and some fresh fruit and vegetables was what Miss Jones stuck with. Rose gave her credit for thinking smart. Martha paid with cash, so her card couldn't be tracked, and left the shop. Rose followed from a safe distance.

Rose knew Martha would be headed northwest, so she hitched a ride with panicking woman driving her small child out of the center of the storm. The driver was too busy holding herself together that she didn't ask many questions. At the first major road change, after an hour or so, Rose left the woman with a thank you. She started walking along the road in the direction she wanted to go, her thumb stuck out whenever she heard a car behind her. She made good progress that way. Walking when the driver she was with wanted a different direction and catching rides as she could. The evening crept up and Rose stopped in a small town on the coast, Rose found people there more organized than the previous villages. Rose grinned as she read the name of the town. Flydale North. The townspeople were being directed by none other than Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister. Rose watched them work, clearing damaged buildings and moving the injured and dead into the highly successful cottage hospitals or community center, respectively. The town was set just to the side of the main road and boasted a large sign with the village name. Rose took that as an invitation. She shook a canister of spray paint and painted a rough, Tardis shape on the sign with an arrow pointing into the village. In a mostly abandoned area of the town, Rose found a flat that had been emptied of its owner. She painted the door with a blue X and back tracked with arrows towards it. Inside she left a note.

_Martha, talk to Harriet Jones, she's a friend of the Doctor._

Then she left to commandeer a boat. Martha Jones would be heading to Ireland, so Rose Tyler would too. This initial, baby-sitting phase would get tiring quickly. Rose figured it could take up to a month to get a resistance movement up and running. Maybe sooner if news of Martha spread ahead of her, inspiring people. That, Rose decided, she could do. Start the rumor of Martha Jones, the woman who could stop the Master.

Rose was right. The resistance organized quickly once they had a figurehead. People knew of Martha Jones so she was offered support every where she went after the first two weeks. Rose's cans of spray paint were getting less and less use. Now that both of them had reached the Americas though, the survival gear got more useful. Rose talked her way into helping crew the sailing ship that took Martha from Iceland to Newfoundland, in eastern Canada. She didn't interact with Martha, who was traveling under an assumed name, much. They were a smuggling ship, transporting the radios tuned to the resistance's frequency. Towns in the new world were spaced much farther apart than at home. By the time they got there, road traffic was almost nonexistent, so Rose and Martha were left walking. Rose felt like a stray puppy, tagging along when it wasn't wanted the way she followed Martha through the woods of Canada, the dusty, grassy plains of the heartland of America, and across the islands of the Caribbean. After they left the boat in Canada, Martha didn't see Rose. Few people did.

Rose thought that maybe her voice wouldn't work anymore. She went days without speaking to anyone as she watched and hid from Martha Jones. The legend of the woman walking the Earth had spread much faster than Rose could travel, so she didn't need to propagate that any more. Rose was almost desperate for danger just to have something interesting to do. Stealing food and clean water was getting boring.

The route Martha had to take to travel the world was exhausting. Why, Rose wonder, did all the continents have to be close to one another in the north? They always had to backtrack in order to cover enough territory for the story to spread the rest of the way. Martha and Rose trekked through the wasteland that was Russia and then south into the Middle East before turning back and heading towards China. Rose was thankful for her Torchwood issued boots. They were made from material extrapolated from alien sources. The soles were malleable like rubber but so much tougher, the uppers were a refined version of kevlar that was waterproof and resistant to wear. Martha had replaced her shoes more times than she could count.

* * *

Japan, oh god, Japan. Rose thought as she fought her stomach. River was right, she would know the right moment to interfere more directly with Martha's journey. She'd woken up early that morning with more dread than usual which meant she had to be extra cautious. She knew she needed to leave Japan that day regardless, so in the wee hours of the morning, long before anyone was up for the work shift, she stole a boat and moved it to a safe, accessible location. Martha was telling her story in one of the housing areas while Rose looked on from a distance when the Valiant appeared on the horizon. With it came a swarm of the Toclofane, more than Rose had seen concentrated since they first came through the skin of the world. That was what her sinking feeling was about. The moment the Valiant was above land, they all opened fire and rained horror down on the people below. Japan was awash in flames. The people panicked, of course, trying to run for safety but there was none to be had. Rose, from her perch on the roof, scanned desperately for Martha. She gasped when she spotted the other woman. She hadn't yet been trampled, but definitely knocked around by the crowd. She laid on the ground, unconscious as people swarmed. Rose, thankful she'd left her pack with the boat, scrambled down and waded into teaming mass. She wasn't so short in Japan and she was better fed than most so she made good progress. Her first aid training came to mind as Rose reached her intended target but she couldn't afford to wait for a backboard. She had to get Martha out of there whether or not she had a spinal injury. Rose was thankful the other woman was so small as she lifted Martha over her shoulder in a fireman's carry and hurried from the square. The docks were one of the first targets of the toclofane and Rose was doubly glad she'd moved her transportation away from there. She slid Martha into the boat, beneath the thin tarp Rose had brought. Rose pushed the boat away from shore and scrambled inside it, continuing to push with the long, slender, bamboo pole. The tarp was a miracle in active camouflage technology. With the two women and the small boat beneath it, the tarp appeared as an unbroken stretch of water, seen from above. The edges weren't necessarily as convincing, but Rose thought it would be enough to get them away unnoticed.

An hour later, the hum of the Valiant grew fainter until it finally disappeared altogether. Her heart still pounding, Rose dared to peak out from under the edge of the tarp. The Valiant was gone and the thick cloud of toclofane once more dispersed. They'd abandoned the giant fireball that was once the island of Japan. She swallowed thickly, trying to remove the lump in her throat, but it failed to move. Then she took a swig of water and gasped. The lump faded down. Rose thought it may have had something to do with the smoke. Rose folded up the tarp and placed it in one of the hatches where it would be easily accessible if there was need again. Then she turned her attention to Martha. She was still unconscious but her breathing and heart rate were steady. Rose pulled her inside the very small cabin where she would be less exposed before returning to the outer deck. The boat was small, made for one or two passengers to go out on day trips. It wasn't the ideal boat for a long sea voyage, but there wasn't much choice. With an extreme amount of effort and some skilled placement of rope and pulleys, Rose managed to pull the mast upright into position again. She took a much needed break before she pulled the sail up. A groan from inside the cabin distracted her.

"Hey sleepin' beauty." Rose said as she found Martha stirring and looking around blankly.

"Where am I? What happened?" Martha asked blearily.

"You're on a boat heading out of Japan. You were nearly trampled in the panic when the toclofane descended and hit your head." Rose explained.

"They're not called toclofane, that's something the Master made up." Martha informed her.

"That's what you want to focus on?" Rose asked with one eyebrow raised. "Oh, right, concussion. Just a mo." She dug into her pack and pulled the tube of bruise cream out. She carefully spread it over the lump on Martha's temple.

Almost immediately Martha's eyes cleared and her focus came back. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. Then she caught sight of Rose and froze.

"You! I've met you before. Hang on, you were on the boat from Iceland!"

"Yup."

"Were you following me?" Martha demanded.

Rose smirked. "Yup."

"And now you've captured me. Do you work for the Master? Are you going to kill me?" Martha wasn't scared, just angry.

"No, no, no. I rescued you from the burning island of Japan. I don't work for the Master. And why would I pull you out of a fire and heal your concussion if I was going to kill you? I'm a friend, Martha, I'm here to help."

Martha narrowed her eyes in suspicion. That went well, Rose thought.

"Here." Rose said and dug the last, half-empty can of spray paint from her pack and handed it to Martha.

She stared at it for a long moment before she realized what it was. "Oh. You're part of the group that marks stuff for me?"

Rose smothered a laugh. "There is no group, Martha. Just me. The resistance doesn't do the paint thing."

"Just you..." Martha mused, "Why did you pick that color?"

"What, the color of the Tardis?" Rose said innocently. It had been so long since she had a real, honest-to-goodness conversation. It felt so good.

Martha's head snapped up and she shot an intense look at Rose. "Tardis?" She said. Rose got the feeling she was being tested.

"Time and relative dimension in space. The sentient time machine disguised as a police box. The last of her kind. Owned by the Doctor, currently in the hands of the Master"

None of that seemed to ease Martha's suspicion at all, in fact it seemed to make it worse. "You know an awful lot." She accused.

"Yes. I... had some friends that traveled with the Doctor." Mickey. Jack. Rose thought. One in another universe, and one, last she'd seen, stuck in the year 200,100.

Martha studied her closely. "Your eyes." She said suddenly. "They have the same pain as the Doctor's. You knew Rose?"

Rose almost stopped breathing. River did say Martha was sharp. "Yes."

"Figures." Martha muttered, her voice full of... anger? Pain? Ah. Jealousy. That's what River wouldn't tell her. Which probably meant that Rose was supposed to talk her out of her jealousy then. Great.

"What's your name then? Since you already know mine." Martha said, resigned to her new companion.

"Marion." Rose had decided on using her middle name.

"Alright Marion, why have you been following me?"

"To help you." Surely that was obvious.

"Then why didn't you travel with me?"

Oh, right. "It was safer that way. For you and for me. And I had to spread the news of your journey."

"What?" Martha squawked.

"Well, I knew there would be a resistance movement formed, it could just take a while. Unless they had a figurehead, so I spread the news about you. Martha Jones, the woman who can stop the Master."

"So that's where all the rumors of me killing him come from." Martha glared.

"Unh uh, I was very clear. I said _stop_ the Master. I don't think that the Doctor would ask you to kill, especially another Time Lord."

"You know the Doctor, then?"

"We've met."

"He's never mentioned you." Martha accused.

Oh, Sarah Jane all over again. "The Doctor doesn't talk about old friends, he just moves forward. He can't bear to watch the people he cared for grow old and die."

"He talks about Rose." Martha grumbled.

"Really? What does he say?" Half was morbid curiosity and half was realizing it could be important.

"Oh, just 'Rose would know, Rose and I came here, Rose had a way of...' that sort of thing. Like he worships the ground she walks on." Martha was clearly fed up with that behavior.

"Did you know, for a remarkably brilliant alien, the Doctor can be an incredibly stupid man?" Rose told her.

Martha looked at Rose and realized she may have said too much. "How did you know where to find me?" Martha asked.

"What?" Rose said, confused by the topic change.

"The first day, when the Master revealed the spheres, you marked the sign, the flat, and you left a note. How did you know?"

Oh. Well, Rose had six months to come up with an answer to that. "I used to work for an organization called Torchwood. I know how to look for alien interference and track fake documents. Harold Saxon was suspicious, so I prepared. I saw you disappear on camera so I figured you were doing a runner. All I had to work out was which direction you would go and get there first."

"Torchwood. You worked with Jack? Did you meet him through the Doctor too?"

"Hang on, Jack. Jack Harkness?"

Martha nodded.

"Jack works for Torchwood?" That was not okay, in the other universe Torchwood was the good guy. In this one, not so much.

"Yeah, we ran into him in Cardiff. He's on the Valiant." Martha said softly.

"Oh, Jack." Cardiff, that was Torchwood Three in Pete's world. Before Pete took over, they were a bit off the grid, rarely communicating with the London office. Maybe it was the same in this world. Being on the Valiant though, that would be miserable, especially with what she had done. If the Master found out that Jack couldn't die... "No, I didn't work for Jack, I worked in the London branch."

"Canary Wharf. My cousin worked there, she didn't come home after the battle." Martha said.

Rose studied Martha and realized why her face was so familiar. "Addy." She said. "I'm so sorry."

In Pete's World Adeola Oshodi was a computer expert and did a lot of the reverse engineering on alien computer systems. Rose had met her a few times when she looked in on projects and in the field sometimes when they turned over a find to the recovery team.

"Well," Rose said, drawing it out like the Doctor did, "How about we catch up later and get sailing first. I don't like sitting here so close to the island."

Martha nodded and both women ducked out of the cabin back into the sunlight. Rose was glad she learned to sail at the very beginning of their journey. Gas was a rare commodity and highly regulated. Rose had a few tanks for the little outboard motor, but it wouldn't get them near far enough.

With two of them working the lines, they got the sail raised quickly and Rose installed herself at the helm. "Martha!" She called.

"Yeah?"

"Where are we going?"


	15. Chapter 15

_Thank you for all the lovely comments :)  
_**I gain no material benefit from this writing, all rights to the BBC**

Martha warmed to the slightly enigmatic 'Marion' quickly. Though Martha had been doing more talking than Rose had, she was rarely able to meet the same person more than once. Since she was normally a fairly talkative person, she was a bit starved for conversation.

"Did you meet any other companions of the Doctor?" Martha asked as the pair hiked across the Australian bush.

"Sorry?" Rose replied, surprised by the sudden question.

"You knew Rose, and Jack, did you know any others?"

"Yeah, two."

"Well, tell me!"

"Mickey." Rose said with a fond smile.

"Boyfriend?" Martha teased, looking at the surprisingly soft expression on her mysterious friend's face.

Rose laughed and shook her head. "No. Best mate. I grew up with him. On the Powell Estate. That's where they're from, Mickey and Rose, the glorious concrete jungle of the council estate."

"And what happened to Mickey? Where is he now?"

"He left the Tardis. Found a place he liked better to settle down. His family was all gone at home, so he went to start a new life."

"But he left you behind?"

Rose smiled sadly. "He's a sweet bloke, always looked out for me. But I grew up and changed, I didn't need him anymore and he didn't need me. I'm glad he's happy and proud of him for taking the chance."

"Do you still miss him?" Martha wondered.

"'Course. But I know him well enough that I can hear what he'd say wherever I am."

Martha smiled at her. "That's nice. I don't have any one like that."

"Really?" Martha was nice, sweet and funny. She had the life Rose didn't; money, education, siblings. Rose couldn't believe that with all that, Martha didn't have a best mate.

"Med school sucks away your life. My friends from before would invite me out and I'd have something else that needed doing. We just, I dunno, drifted apart. I went out sometimes with other med students but it was just to let off steam together, we were all to focused to actually get to know one another. Closest I've got to a good mate is the Doctor. I can never predict what he'll say." She snorted. "Except for how brilliant Rose was."

Rose winced. She knew the Doctor was hurting from losing her, and that he was an unintentional flirt, and as much as it made her happy that he mentioned her, he really was being an ass.

"Look," She told Martha, "I think the Doctor may be idealizing Rose a bit." This was going to be painful, she thought, pointing out her biggest flaws and mistakes to someone much more qualified. "Everyone is a mix of strengths and weaknesses, facets and flaws. The Doctor may be tricking himself into forgetting the bad and remembering only the good, but Rose was only human." Was, being the operative word.

Martha looked at her skeptically.

"He hasn't actually told you a full story, has he? Just little bits?"

Martha shook her head. "No, it's more like he accidentally mentions her, like he can't quite help himself."

Rose groaned inwardly. "Did Jack tell you how they met?"

"Nope, I'm going to guess there was flirting."

Rose laughed. "You do know Jack." She said. "It was 1941, the height of the London Blitz."

"Oh! The Doctor said he was there, when there was that... thing... with Professor Lazarus." Martha interjected.

"You'll have to tell me that one later. Right, so the Doctor goes off to check on something before he bothers to check the date. He decided to go 'round asking if anything had fallen from the sky 'cause... they... were tracking a bit of space junk that was flagged dangerous. Best time to ask if anything's fallen from the sky. Anyway, he left... Rose outside alone. So she did what companions do best, she wandered off.

"She was trying to reach this little boy standing on a roof calling for his mummy when the rope she was using to climb broke away from the building and she starts floating off. Turns out she was hanging from a barrage balloon. 'Course that's right when the German planes swoop in. So there she is, middle of a German air raid, hanging from a Barrage balloon at least a hundred feet above London, wearing a Union Jack tee shirt."

"You're kidding." Martha said.

"Nope. So then she falls, right? I mean, she only had the rope in her two hands and it's cold out. But she gets stopped by something and then an amplified voice echoes around her. Captain Jack to the rescue. Caught her using tech from his ship and brought her down into it safely. His invisible space ship tethered up to Big Ben. So you see, she attracts trouble just like anyone else on the Tardis."

Martha just sighed and changed the subject. "Who else did you know?"

"Sarah Jane Smith. Just met her once actually. She traveled with the Doctor, oh twenty some years ago? Now she's a journalist."

"Wow, really? How'd that happen?"

"Before Mickey started traveling on the Tardis, he was looking into alien rumors. He found something suspicious and called the Doctor. We all met up to investigate and ran in to Sarah Jane. She hadn't seen him since he said goodbye to her on Earth. That's how the Doctor lives, never looking back, so long as he can help it."

"Except for Rose."

"And someday, when you're gone, maybe he'll mention you too. You are brilliant, after all."

Martha made a face and let the conversation end.

Martha was learning that 'Marion' would never talk about herself unless Martha asked directly. She was brilliant at steering the conversation away from her when Martha only hinted at things. Martha trusted her completely and enjoyed her company, but there was still something just a little... forbidding about her. The light in her eyes maybe, or sometimes the way she walked, like a predator going after its kill, Martha wasn't sure. It made her just uneasy enough to make her nervous about asking questions. In India, she found her courage again.

"When was the last time you saw the Doctor?"

Rose, in the midst of scrambling over some large boulders at the base of the Himalayas, nearly turned to stone herself. "For me it was about six months after Canary Wharf. I think for him it was less."

"So you know what happened to Rose. What really happened?"

"Yes."

"He didn't tell me, you know. Not for the longest time. Well, he told Jack, I just happened to be there. I thought she'd run off, left him. And he was heartbroken."

Rose shook her head. "That girl couldn't leave him. He sent her away once, no, twice. He thought she'd be killed. That both of them would. She didn't listen and came right back."

Martha nodded thoughtfully. "When all this is over, I'll make the Doctor come see you."

"No, Martha. You can't. You can't tell the Doctor I was here, not ever."

"Why not?"

"It'll make him sad. Sad that another person risked their life for him and sad because I'll remind him of Rose. He'd feel guilty for getting me into this life. When this is all over, I think he'll have enough to deal with."

"I think it would be good for him. And you care for him, wouldn't you like to see him?"

"Martha, promise me you won't tell the Doctor."

Rose fixed her wide eyes, brown flecked with gold, on the other woman. Martha swallowed instinctively and nodded.

"Fine, sure." She grumbled. The Doctor would feel guilty. Even if walking the Earth would be better than living in the work camps, she wasn't sure the Doctor would agree. The things they'd seen... It still didn't seem fair for Marion, but Martha was sure the brunette knew what she was getting into.

Martha told Rose all about her adventures with the Doctor. The hospital on the moon garnered a wistful expression. Flirting with Shakespeare made her friend laugh and suggest Jack should have been there. New Earth made her go still and intent as she listened. The Daleks in Manhattan, on the other hand, made her cry out.

"What's wrong?" Martha asked quickly, she'd never seen Marion show so much emotion.

"The Daleks, the Cult of Skaro, they were there at Canary Wharf. It was their fault. They ruined my life. And they survived." Her voice was ice.

"They're gone now though, all but one." Martha soothed.

"One Dalek could level an entire city by itself." Rose said in a tight voice, remembering what the Doctor said in Utah.

Martha switched quickly to stories of the times the Doctor got her stuck and she had to do all the hard work. Her companion groaned at the antics of the Doctor and praised Martha's tenacity and cleverness.

"The Doctor trusts you a lot." Rose said after Martha finished her story about the Family.

Martha blinked. "Yeah. I guess he does." The notion dawned on her slowly and she realized Marion was right about a lot of things.

The Doctor didn't care for her the way she dreamed he would, but it wasn't because of who she was or wasn't, it was just that he cared for someone else. Martha was good enough. She was a trusted companion, a good friend.

Rose smiled slightly. It seemed she was finally getting through.

A few days later, Martha seemed to come to a decision. She asked a question that Rose really wasn't sure how to answer.

"Tell me about Rose?"

Rose paused. "What do you want to know?" She said cautiously.

"Well, how did she meet the Doctor?"

"When she was nineteen, she worked at Henrik's, the department store. One day she had to stay late-"

"Wait, she worked in a shop?" Martha interrupted.

"Yeah, why?"

"I dunno. I just, I guess, the Doctor always mentions her like she was brilliant so I assumed she was a scientist or something."

Ouch. Rose thought. Well, she's a scientist now... "Nope," She said aloud, "She was a teenage drop out living with her mum in a council flat. Sometimes it takes someone else to show you how extraordinary you can be."

"Oh."

"Do you want to hear the rest of the story?"

"Yeah, ta. Go on."

Rose gave her a condensed version of her first meeting with the Doctor, parts of it were too personal to share. Plus, she was supposed to have gotten her information second hand. She didn't need to have all the details.

They were in South Africa when things went pear shaped. Martha had been talking to a large group of people, spreading her story, and she got too hot. Naturally, she pulled off her jacket but caught on the collar was the string of her perception filter. She didn't notice and finished her talk as usual before slinging her pack over her slender shoulders and setting off. Then a toclofane at the edge of the town caught sight of her. It descended rapidly and cut off her route.

"All humans are to stay inside the village. You are leaving. You must die." It said gleefully.

Martha gaped and felt around her neck, panicking when the string was missing. The sharp blades of the toclofane extended and it swooped towards her. Martha closed her eyes and flinched away. The razor sharp blades never touched her. Instead, she heard a clink and opened her eyes to find the sphere on the ground, a flicker of blue energy running across its surface. At the edge of the road stood Rose, already returning a small silver weapon to a black holster on her leg Martha had never noticed. Martha stared at her.

"C'mon, there'll be more coming soon." Rose said in a low, dark voice and turned into the scrubby brush on the side of the road.

"You have a gun. That kills the spheres. And you haven't used it before?" Martha squeaked out, still stock still in the middle of the road.

"Martha. Move." Rose ordered. She pushed aside a bush and strode purposefully into the tall grass.

Martha jolted free of her stunned immobility to follow the other woman to safety. They crouched under the low branches of a tree and watched as more than a dozen toclofane arrived to see the plight of their fallen comrade. From what Martha had seen, the spheres were often childlike in their attention spans, rarely focusing on something for more than a few minutes other than killing, so she wasn't surprised when they gave up quickly in their search for the cause.

"What happened to your perception filter?" Rose said.

"I don't know. It must have fallen off. Hang on..." She said and dove into her bag, fingertips straining to feel cool metal. "Ha." She cried and pulled it back over her head.

"Good. Let's go."

"Just a mo. You have a gun that can take down the toclofane and you don't use it. Why?" Martha folded her arms across her chest.

"Weren't you watching? Come on!" Rose was frustrated by Martha's lack of urgency, didn't she see the spheres?

Martha was frustrated by the eternal mystery of her companion. She'd gotten answers out of the Doctor even when she put her foot down, Marion, she was sure, would be easier to crack. "You know more about all this than you're telling me. I want to know, now, what's going on."

Rose frowned. This was not the time for that discussion. Mostly, it was not the place, what with the metal spheres still swarming the area. She muttered one of the Doctor's favorite alien curses under her breath. "Not the time." She informed Martha and turned, striding into the shrub.

Martha hesitated, knowing that to get answers she would have to appear unwavering. On the other hand, she wasn't in a place where it was safe to stand around talking. She followed Rose away from the road.


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Sorry for the delay, classes starting and all that. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not profit or materially gain from this. All rights to the BBC.

The toclofane were present in greater numbers than before in the few days after Rose shot one down. The two women slept in shifts and only briefly at that, staying alert and quiet as they moved through South Africa. Martha didn't have a chance to bombard Rose with questions, for which Rose was thankful. It also gave her time to think up explanations when, inevitably, the topic arose again.

Rose used a lot of her Torchwood training as they skulked across the world and she taught Martha as needed. But, after Martha's first few months walking alone, she'd learned quite a few things on her own, and quickly. Still, Rose didn't think Martha was quite as aware of the small details around them until they finally found a safe place to hide until the spheres went back to their usual activities.

They'd been on the move nearly constantly since Martha's perception filter had fallen off. They'd barely spoken to the people they encountered along the way and avoided the roads, following a map and compass instead. After four days, they arrived in a fair sized village just as dusk settled. Rose and Martha huddled in the shadows, cautiously observing the town before they entered it.

"Perfect..." Rose whispered as they surveyed the main square.

Martha glanced at her companion and was shocked to see a smile ghosting across her usually somber features.

"C'mon." Rose said before she streaked across the square, staying low and quiet as she ran. Martha followed and slipped through the narrow door Rose cracked open. Martha pulled her torch from her rucksack and illuminated her path. She stood on the edge of a steep staircase leading down into a basement. Behind her, Rose shut the door and plunged down into the unknown darkness.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Martha called softly down into the dark.

"Yup." Rose replied from below.

In the basement, Martha found Rose sprawled comfortably on a squishy sofa. The room wasn't large, but spacious enough for the two of them. It was illuminated by soft lamps. Plain, plywood cabinets were built into one wall next to a basic kitchen with a sink and stove. A shadowed doorway led to bathroom. Another sofa sat opposite to the one Rose was on and Martha dropped onto it without a second thought.

"Ahh." She sighed as she relaxed for the first time in days. Then her head snapped up again and her eyes sought the other woman. "Hang on, how'd you know about this place?"

Rose shrugged. "Didn't. Educated guess." She stood and opened a few of the cabinets. Martha was startled to see cans and boxes of food. "What do you want for dinner?"

Martha's eyes narrowed in suspicion. One didn't simply guess that a certain door led to an abandoned place stocked with supplies. Except Marion did, over and over and over. As she recalled the number of times Marion had pulled her into an unexpected safe house, things snapped into place in Martha's mind. "Bad Wolf." She said, a bit shocked she hadn't noticed the pattern earlier.

Rose spun quickly at the familiar words, eyes wide. Her shoulders relaxed after a moment. She should have expected Martha to notice, after all, she was training to be a doctor and you didn't get there by being an idiot. Well, she certainly couldn't play off not knowing now.

"What does it mean?" Martha asked.

"It's a message." Rose told her after a pause.

"A message." Martha repeated. "Messages have three things, a sender, an intended recipient, and a meaning. So spill."

"It means we're safe here." Rose prayed Martha would let it drop. But no, that wasn't her way, was it.

"Go on. The other two." She pressed.

Rose sighed. "I don't know who personally wrote it. It was intended for me."

Martha nodded thoughtfully. "The resistance?"

"Something like that." Rose muttered, just loud enough to hear.

"But why 'Bad Wolf'? I mean, they could've chosen any phrase on the planet and they choose the nightmare of a child's fairytale?"

"Um. It's sort of my name."

"That is the crummiest code name ever." Martha deadpanned.

Rose cracked a smile. She remembered naming herself the Bad Wolf, but she did that because she'd seen it before. A circular paradox, River called them.

"My last name is Wolfe." She told Martha. It was almost funny that Bad Wolf was more of a real name than Marion Wolfe, and that was the name that Martha knew.

"Oh. That makes sense then." Martha said, letting it drop as Rose went back to looking at food.

Rose hoped that Martha didn't realize just how often the phrase came up, it was present a lot more often than graffiti above a door, most of the occurrences couldn't be explained by the ever mysterious resistance. Shop signs, certain brands of food, town names, mountains, billboard adverts, car license plates, even the boats they traveled on; all contained the phrase in some form or another and would be much harder to attribute the coincidence to a small group of humans working for under a year in the hidden places of the world. Popping up in conversation might be okay, as Martha could easily assume that anyone using the phrase was a member of the resistance, but the others would be tough. Rose figured it would not go over well if she attempted to explain that she had handled the entirety of the universe in a moment and rewrote it to suit her needs. Especially as that would involve explaining how Rose had gotten to that point and she'd told Martha that she hadn't traveled on the Tardis. River was adamant that Rose could never tell Martha who she was, and Rose agreed, especially now that she'd met the woman. Though things were improving, Martha's anger and jealousy were fairly ingrained and she knew from experience that the Doctor was difficult to get over.

Rose kept Martha busy with questions as they made and ate dinner, hoping to distract or at least stall her from asking more questions about Rose. At least questions about Rose's involvement in the current happenings.

After dinner, Rose continued the questions as she examined the room more closely. It was a convenient place, perfect for their purposes certainly, but a bit odd. She was certain there was something more to it. On one stretch of whitewashed wall, she found the words again. 'Bad Wolf' was scratched into the soft surface. Rose grinned. She knocked on the wall gently and listened to the hollow sound with a smile. She felt around as Martha came and watched curiously.

"Aha!" Rose said as her fingertips encountered a small latch where the wall met the low ceiling. In the low light of the room and coated in whitewash, the latch was all but invisible. She flicked it open and pushed, part of the wall swung back to expose a dark corridor. "After you." She said with a bow and a gesture to Martha.

"What do you think is down there?" Martha said, retrieving her torch.

"Dunno. Best guess is people. People to tell your story to."

Martha took a deep breath and walked through the hidden doorway. Sometimes Marion reminded her a bit too much of the Doctor, acting on impulse without enough data. Still, she'd had to do that her entire way there. If she waited for information, she never would have gotten out of England.

Marion was right, Martha thought. She waited in the doorway at the other end of the tunnel, leaning casually against the doorjamb, and watched Martha tell her story. Martha learned early on in their travel together that Marion preferred not to be in the center of attention. She let Martha do all the talking, choosing instead to hover at the outside of the crowd and watching for danger. Most of the time, people never even realized she was there. Marion explained that she too had a perception filter, a remnant of her time at Torchwood when she often had to be inconspicuous, and since people wanted to see Martha Jones, they did, but they didn't expect to see her, so they didn't. Martha had often tried to convince the other woman to share her stories of the Doctor but she never would. She never traveled with him, Marion would argue, it was Martha's stories that would make the impact. All of Marion's stories were secondhand and wouldn't have the same sort of power. Nor, she said, did she want word of her getting back to the Master. She had a family to protect. Martha could empathize with that one. It was too late for her to protect her family by staying in the shadows, but she didn't wish that harm on anyone else.

They stayed in the Bad Wolf basement for two days. The toclofane went back to their usual torments so it was safer for the two women to travel again. Once more engulfed by the calm that came as they hiked without evidence of the spheres or other people, Martha had the time to remember there were more questions she wanted to ask Marion. Martha halted mid-step for a moment as she realized how craftily Marion had kept her attention away from it during the past two days by actually offering information about herself. She spent portions of the days telling Martha stories of the mischief she, Mickey, and Rose got into as kids. Martha also heard about their families, the little that each of them had, and what it was like growing up on the council estate. It was a different life from the one Martha knew and she could see how it made the other woman the way she was. She made the best of a bad situation, that was certain. Martha found herself resenting Rose less and less as Marion talked about the way they grew up. Rose certainly wasn't the goddess Martha had assumed from the Doctor's sighs nor was she the superficial type like Annalise. In fact, if Rose had the same kind of sweet charm and morality mixed with stubbornness that Marion showed, Martha imagined she'd get along pretty well with the lost girl. There was just the problem of the Doctor.

Martha still thought of him every day. It would be hard not to, since she was walking the earth on his behalf, spreading his name far and wide, but the intensity had faded. The Doctor, she decided, was such an intense personality that he drew people to him like moths to a flame. Timothy Latimer, back in 1913, said it best.

_He's like fire and ice and rage..._

Stand close to the fire and it warms you, too close and you get burned.

_He burns at the center of time and he can see the turn of the universe._

Everyone and everything gets pulled into his wake.

The Doctor made his own gravity.

Martha certainly had fallen into it, more than most. But what she felt for the Doctor was complicated. The attraction was instant, and he had _kissed _her. She hadn't known him then. As they traveled she got to know him better but something was still missing.

She frowned as she thought, her feet moving automatically. She was going to need one hell of a pedicure when all this was over, she thought absently. Then it dawned on her. She didn't know the Doctor. Not really. When they met, she'd made assumptions about who he was. Looking at the Judoon from the balcony she'd revised her assessment. It changed again when he kissed her. But since then... no. She'd stuck with the idea of the Doctor as the romantic, tragic hero and ignored everything else. Martha knew his planet was gone, but not how or when. How many loved ones did he lose then? How old was the Doctor? How many people had traveled with him? He liked Shakespeare, any other authors? Favorite movies? He never volunteered anything about himself and she, content with her fairytale picture of him, had never asked. She was disgusted with herself. Martha was clever. She always had been. But with the Doctor she'd turned into an idiot. She'd attributed his pain to a bad break up instead of a crushing loss and was disappointed when he couldn't just get over it. She'd ignored all his signals and words. She ignored the Doctor in favor of a made up character. It wasn't fair to either of them.

She was in love with her idea of the Doctor, but that wasn't who the Doctor truly was. She raised her head high as she walked forward. It was time, she decided, to move on.

So, proudly, quietly, and with determination, Martha Jones fell out of love with the Doctor.

Rose noticed the shift in Martha's attitude after a few days. When the realization dawned, she was a little surprised. It hadn't come after any long discussion about the Doctor, or Rose, or anything else, rather after the avoidance of those topics. Still, in the evenings when they sat around the small cookstove before bed, Martha talked quietly about her travels and her stories contained fewer mentions of the Doctor than they had before. She asked about the Doctor's trip to New Earth with Rose, since he'd mentioned they'd been there but nothing more, without bitterness. Nor was she so defensive to Rose. She talked candidly about her family and the distress they all put her through; dragging her into the middle of every disagreement, forever the arbiter in a never ending stream of conflict.

Rose was gladdened by the change. Before, with Martha suspicious and defensive, she'd had to watch every word and guard her secret tightly. After though, Martha seemed to be content with not knowing all the answers. At least, not right away. Martha was still a clever woman who preferred to deal with things that could be studied and fixed. Answers were something she was fond of and mysteries only existed to be solved. Perhaps she'd simply realized that she had time left to solve Marion Wolfe.

A few nights later, Martha woke alone in the small shelter they'd built. She crawled cautiously outside, expecting trouble, but found only Marion, standing in the clearing, her head tilted back to face the stars.

"Are you alright?" Martha asked.

"Hmm? Did I wake you?"

"No, aren't you tired?" Martha said around a yawn, rubbing the gooseflesh raising on her arms.

"Some things can't be replaced. Sleep can."

Martha frowned at her cryptic friend. "What happened to you?" She asked quietly. That was it, Martha realized as she spoke, something always just under the surface that Marion was hiding. Something had hurt this woman.

Rose surprised herself when she answered. "Have you seen someone who looks just like a friend of yours that you haven't seen for a long time? Someone you miss desperately and just for a moment you think you've found them? Or been somewhere that looks so much like a place you love, but it's missing something?"

Martha nodded.

"Yeah, that's it." Rose said and returned to the shelter, curling into a ball and closing her eyes leaving Martha more confused than before standing outside.

The journey north along the west coast of Africa was relatively peaceful. The usually war-torn regions were quiet under the enforcement of the toclophane, but as the Master had no use for the wood of the forests and large cities were rare, the spheres didn't patrol the forests heavily and the small villages were left mostly alone.

"We need a way to get onto the Valiant." Martha said suddenly as they trudged through a moist, boggy section of jungle.

"You need a way." Rose corrected absently.

"You're not coming with me?"

"Why would I? This is your show."

Martha frowned. "I'd have been dead a long time ago if it wasn't for you."

"Course not. You would have been fine. I just made things easier, that's all. You're brilliant, Martha Jones. You can do anything you set your mind to." Rose may have underplayed her involvement a little, but she didn't mind. "Sides, chances are he'd just shoot me, I don't mean anything so far as he knows. You though, sounds like he'll want to make sure the Doctor knows you've been caught."

"You know... I believe you're scared." Martha said, eying her friend. "But the Master doesn't scare you. You're scared of the Doctor. Scared to see him again."

Rose muttered a curse about all too perceptive medical students. "The Master terrifies me." She informed Martha.

"But that's not why you don't want to be there. You don't want to face the Doctor. I know I'm right."

Rose pulled a face.

"But why? I mean, you know him and you care about him. You're his friend." Martha insisted.

Why? Rose wondered. There were too many reasons, she decided. If she saw him, there was no way she'd be able to leave again. Then she wouldn't be able to correct Donna's timeline. Then the Doctor would be dead. Then the universe would end. A whole causal nexus down the drain. But none of that Martha could know.

Time to bend the truth, Rose thought. "The last time I saw him, we were both so... broken. We both said things that can never be forgotten." All true, but it would give Martha a different idea of what had happened. While Rose heard his voice echoing in her head, saying the words she'd never forget...

_"Quite right to. And I suppose, if it's my last chance to say it, Rose Tyler, I-"_

Martha though, was probably envisioning a fight between the two of them, each one blaming the other.

"I'm sorry." Martha laid a comforting hand on Rose's shoulder, her voice sincere. "Just me then. I need a way on to the Valiant."

"We have time. You'll think of something." Rose said. She was still a little distant, caught up in her memories. Still, this was another thing Martha could do for herself.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no profit from this story. All rights to the BBC.

The day before they reached Europe again, Martha hit upon the perfect solution. She decided to capitalize on the Master's paranoia and the rumors surrounding her journey to create a reason for her travel to give her time to stall and use one of his informants against him. Rose applauded the plan and helped resistance members in Paris build the decoy.

Within Europe, the resistance had spread into a well-developed network ready to seek out and help Martha Jones. Rose quickly found her aid redundant as the resistance was perfectly capable of protecting Martha. She stayed close though, if nothing else she was a friend to the other woman.

As Rose hauled on the oar of the small boat carrying her and Martha to England, she tried to convince herself that it was only the information gathered by the resistance that let her know time was running out. It certainly couldn't be the feeling of time stretching thin and tight around her, ready to snap back like a rubber band with just the slightest touch. The feeling made her edgy and nervous, jumping whenever Martha spoke.

Martha attributed her companion's jumpiness to the closeness of their deadline and goal. The girl, she thought, couldn't be more than twenty-two, though she acted much older. Then again, that year had been enough to make anyone grow old. Still, she was surprised by Marion when they reached the shores of England. Marion clung to the shadows, she barely met the eyes of the frankly gorgeous Tom Milligan who waited for them on the cold, dark beach. On top of that, she told Tom to call her Hopper, instead of giving him her name. She was quiet the whole ride, too. Though Marion worked hard to hide her emotions during much of their trip, her face was a mask of sorrow instead. Martha didn't press her on it. There were any number of reasons to be sad, especially looking at your homeland so desolate and ruined. Your homeland you'd sworn to protect, from what Martha knew of Torchwood.

Rose hardly noticed the funny looks Martha was giving her as they bounced along in Tom's jeep. Time was still stretching and if that wasn't enough, the Tardis was worried about Rose. Rose and the Tardis both knew that the only safe place for Rose to be when time reversed was inside the Tardis herself. The Tardis was pulling Rose to her, ever so slightly. Rose wanted to go, give in to the pull, but they both knew she couldn't travel until the Master was distracted. The stretchiness was giving Rose a killer headache and she was distracted by keeping herself from hopping straight to the Tardis.

Martha caught Rose as she fell getting out of the jeep. The muscles built from the long year allowed her to support the taller woman and ease her back to her feet.

"You don't look well." Martha said, noting Rose's dilated pupils and sweaty brow.

"I'll be... fine. Don't... worry." Rose gasped as she settled back onto her own feet and staggered forward.

Martha glanced at Tom and he nodded. He slung one of Rose's arms around his shoulder and wrapped one of his around her waist, half carrying her into the warehouse where Professor Docherty worked. As Martha introduced herself to the Professor, Dr. Milligan examined Rose.

"I'm fine." She mumbled at him, one hand clutching her head. "Just a headache, plenty of time to get better after tomorrow."

He frowned at her.

"Let's go help Martha." She insisted and hauled herself to her feet again and with a stronger walk than before, born of a renewed purpose, she led him across the room where Martha and the Professor were talking.

"They're not called toclofane, that's something the Master made up." Martha was explaining as they approached.

"Then what are they?"

"That's why we came to see you, know your enemy." Martha told her, her voice bordering on too innocent.

"No one's been able to get inside a sphere, no one can even touch one." Tom Milligan interjected.

"A charge of 510 megajoules will take one down." Rose said softly. "Saw it in South Africa, didn't we Martha?"

Martha nodded and noticed that she didn't mention she had a gun that would do it. She supposed that would make Professor Docherty suspicious and possibly alert the Master to Marion. "A lightning strike took one down." She lied.

Professor Docherty hummed thoughtfully. "I could build something to replicate that."

"Let's do it then." Tom said eagerly.

Rose hugged Martha as she recoiled from the revealed toclofane in horror. Humans. Changed and gone mad, but still humans.

_"I should have told them to run. Run the monsters are coming."_

The Doctor said it to Harriet Jones just before he took down her career. Humans, the worst monsters in the universe. No wonder River hadn't told her what they were. To see their people so changed, all their humanity lost, was hard enough for Rose, for Martha it was worse. She had met these people, talked with them, helped them.

"Do you think he knows?" Martha asked Rose.

She grimaced. "Yes. If the Master is trying to break his heart, there's no better way left."

Martha straightened and squared her shoulders. "Then he'll need a friend." She said and returned to her mission.

The headache was winning by the time Tom took Rose and Martha into the boarding house for the night. Rose was feverish, sweaty and shaking as well as dizzy.

"We need to get her to bed, or a hospital." Martha said as Tom carried Rose through the door.

"It's after curfew, we'll have to take her in the morning." Tom admitted miserably.

"Do your job." Rose rasped while Tom set her in a hastily vacated cot. "If all goes well, I'll be fine in the morning."

"Marion..." Martha started to say.

"No." Rose interrupted. "The world is much more important than I am. Do. Your. Job."

"I'm a doctor." Martha said, "Helping people who are sick is my job."

"Not yet." Rose argued.

Martha gave up. She knew Marion was less likely than the Doctor to budge. She wondered if that was why they'd fought, Marion and the Doctor. Still, she wasn't sure why stopping the Master would make her friend less ill. Martha walked back out to the room full of people and, as she had done so many times over the last year, she began to tell her story.

Martha cried out as Tom was shot to the ground in front of her and tears crept from the corners of her eyes even but she held her ground defiantly. She looked back at the house, where Marion lay ill, with regret as she was led away from the building. For a long moment she thought she saw Marion's face at the window, watching her sadly, but she decided it was just wishful thinking since the image vanished in a burst of golden light.

On board the Valiant and face to face with the Doctor for the first time in a year, Martha felt none of her old passions. She felt... pity. Pity for a man in love with someone who was lost forever but alive. Someone he cared for and was loved by to the ends of the universe who wasn't perfect, but maybe perfect for him. Martha Jones felt pity for the sad old man who sat before her in a little cage, held captive by the man he wanted for a brother, the man whose forgiveness he sought, but never gave up fighting for what he believed was right. He looked up at her with sad eyes and she saw her pity reflected. He pitied her for the long and miserable year he'd sent her out on. The things she'd seen, the danger she'd been in. And guilt, that was there too. Almost drowning out the rest was guilt for the things she didn't blame him for.

The Master jerked her away from the Doctor and began to monologue about his brilliance. It really was a cliché villain move and it made Martha laugh. He was just so unaware of the end of his plans. She glanced at the countdown as he stopped and stared at her. Slowly she revealed the truth. The Doctor hadn't had time to tell her everything, but she'd pieced the rest together by herself.

The Doctor reappeared with the power supplied by the psychic satellites, the paradox was broken, and time was reversed. Martha stood with her family and hugged them as if she never intended to let go. She wasn't sure if she did intend to ever let go.

Martha could do nothing but watch as the Master let himself die and the Doctor fell apart. She understood better now how he could love someone who did so much harm. His desperation to have someone of his kind around, after what he'd done... Marion had explained what being the last of the Time Lords truly meant and Martha couldn't imagine how heavily that weighed on his shoulders. She watched him cry and her family's shaken expressions and she came to a decision. The Doctor was broken and she couldn't fix him, as much as she tried. But her family was broken too, and she could help them. She was a doctor after all.

Martha unlocked the Tardis for the last time and stepped inside.

"So, where to then?" The Doctor asked, trying in vain to pretend that nothing had happened.

Martha had to interrupt him a few times before she could stop him from listing suggestions.

"You're not staying." He said quietly, his face crumpling in sadness before he pasted back on his usual smile.

"No. It's my family, they've been through a lot and I wanted to be a doctor to help people and now I have people to help. They need me. And you, Doctor, don't."

He started to protest but she stopped him.

"No, Doctor. You need someone. But you don't need _me_. It's time I learn to stand on my own two feet. I spent so much time believing I was second best, but you know something? I'm good. So I'm going out into the world and I'll prove it."

"Martha Jones, you are a star." The Doctor grinned.

She smiled back and tossed her phone to him. "You keep that on mister. I'm not saying goodbye. That rings? You come running. Got it?"

He nodded.

"Goodbye, Doctor." Martha said as she hugged the Doctor.

"Goodbye, Martha Jones."

Martha dragged her heels as she left that old blue box. As she shut the door behind her she thought of one more thing and stuck her head back in.

"Doctor?" She said and his head shot up, "I hope you find what you're looking for." She said gently then left while he tried to figure out if he was looking for something or not. The only answer he could come up with was Rose, and he knew without a doubt that he'd never find her again.

As Martha went out to face the Master, Rose staggered to the window. Soon, soon, soon, soon, chanted a voice inside her head. She wasn't sure if it was hers or that of the Tardis, or that of time itself, stretched to its breaking point.

She saw her friend face the Master with determination and her refusal to waver. Martha had grown, Rose realized. Sometimes it takes extraordinary circumstances to become the best person you can be. After all, Rose wouldn't have gone to university if she hadn't run off with the Doctor and then been separated from him.

Martha glanced back at the building as she was escorted away. In that moment, Rose could see the Master's eyes greedily fixated on the almost-doctor. He was completely distracted by his prize and Rose used that moment to hop to the Tardis.

The pull of the Tardis was gone from Rose's head and was replaced by a keening of pain that once more forced Rose to her knees. The normal humming of the Tardis engine's was gone, replaced by a rhythmic drumbeat echoing through the console room. Gone, too, were the soft orange and teal lights that filled the room. Angry red light glittered harshly off the plexiglass and metal that encased the rotor. Rose dragged herself away from the horrifying sight and collapsed into her old bed. She curled around a pillow and let the pain wash over her, giving in to tears.

Rose wasn't sure how long she laid there. Lost in the pain of the Tardis she could have been there for five minutes or five hours, time didn't seem to pass as it usually did. Within the Tardis, it may not have. The cry of pain cut of suddenly and the reassuring hum built its way back into existence, soothing Rose back into a comfortable state. The Tardis was in her mind, washing away the vestiges of the pain and easing the hurt of the past years. Then she gently prodded Rose into the shower.

The grimy, rough clothing Rose had lived in was gone when she stepped out of the steaming water. Instead, folded nicely next to a fluffy towel, were a pair of comfortable jeans and a soft long sleeved top that fit perfectly. Back in her room, the travel stained pack she'd carried across universes was gone, replaced by her old red pack, fully loaded.

"Are you kicking me out?" Rose asked the Tardis quietly.

The Tardis hummed an affirmative.

"Why?"

The Tardis began to hum in reply but stopped and, haltingly, spoke into Rose's mind. "Because you look will look have looked at your journal."

Rose frowned as she sorted through the Tardis' words. River was right, the old girl was terrible with tenses. River. Her journal. She was supposed to read the next section now. Rose had written in it often after Martha went to sleep as they traveled together, and before she met the Doctor's other companion, the journal was the only company she had. Still, she'd kept her promise to River and dutifully skipped past the warnings and messages for her next tasks. She opened the creamy pages to the second page of River's handwriting and began to read.

_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. If there was any other way I never would have let you do that. If it was anyone but you, I wouldn't have believed it possible. But please remember that you are just one person. You have time. Don't jump forward right away. Rest and take care of yourself._

_I know you're probably thinking that there's no place for you to go since everyone believes you dead, but you're wrong. There's one person who offered you a place to stay if the worst should happen._

_13 Bannerman Road_

_Ealing_

Rose frowned at the paper. Even now she couldn't go hound River for answers. All she had were the cryptic clues. Frankly, she didn't understand why River couldn't just tell her. Rose supposed if she had read ahead, that message wouldn't give too much away provided she didn't dwell on it. If the worst should happen... What worst? The worst thing she could think of was the Doctor leaving her behind... Oh.

She heard voices faintly from the console room so she stepped forward and hopped. Off to 13 Bannerman Road she thought.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: Not my intellectual property. At least, not most of it.**

_AN: Glad y'alls are excited for this chapter! Enjoy_

Sarah Jane Smith led her son into their house and up the stairs to the attic where she did most of her work. If UNIT wouldn't tell her what was going on, she thought, she'd find some other way.

"I'm telling you Luke, something else happened. I could feel it. That man, that Harold Saxon, he called himself the Master. Whatever went on up there, the Doctor was involved."

"Sure, Mum. If you say so." Luke replied. He figured Sarah Jane was right, but even with his extraordinary brain, he couldn't determine what happened on board the Valiant.

Sarah Jane stepped through the door of the attic with Luke behind her.

"Mister Smith, I-" Sarah Jane broke off as she saw the supercomputer already extended from the recess of the fireplace.

"Sarah Jane Smith. I detected an unidentifiable alien presence in the attic which appeared while you were gone. The alien seemed to appear from nowhere. There was no evidence of a teleport or transmat. I placed the alien in a containment field."

Only then did Sarah Jane see the purply-blue cylindrical field containing a figure on the floor to one side of the attic.

The alien was hominid with brown hair cut just below the shoulders. Though it was curled up around a large, red bag, Sarah Jane could see a figure that indicated, to a human, that the alien was female. Her face was completely buried in the bag as well as covered by a curtain of hair. She wore clothing from, or at least blended into, Earth. She was also quite soundly asleep.

Sarah Jane decided that waking her could wait. There were, after all, many species that did not take kindly to be woken.

"Mister Smith, run a full analysis." She ordered the computer.

"Mum? What about her?" Luke asked, peering over her shoulder.

"She's not going anywhere. I want to find out where she came from."

"Sarah Jane. The alien is carrying a transmitter device but is unarmed. I cannot determine what the transmitter communicates to. The genetic structure of the alien is unlike any in my database. The body structure is almost identical to a human. Identical in every respect save an increased brain capacity. It is also interesting to note that most of the elements in her body came from Earth's sun. My scanners are detecting sizable quantities of two types of radiation. One I am unfamiliar with the other is artron energy. She carries more artron energy than any organism I have yet encountered."

"So she's a time traveler?" Luke asked.

"It would seem so." Mister Smith replied.

"Does she have a time traveling device with her?" Sarah Jane asked.

"No. I am still unable to determine how she appeared in the building."

"Does she seem to be dangerous?"

"Not excessively. She is carrying no weapons and does not seem to have poisonous capabilities. When I placed her in the containment field, she merely tested the field, sighed and laid down. Her lack of adrenal reaction leads me to conclude that she is not expecting an attack." Mister Smith said.

"I think so too. Luke, please go call for takeaway. I'm going to keep an eye on our guest." Sarah Jane said. "Mister Smith, please lower the containment field but keep it ready."

The hum of the field faded and Sarah Jane sat on the sofa, watching the mystery alien. Mister Smith was good at finding answers. That he could determine next to nothing about their visitor was worrying. On the other hand, the artron energy was indicative of a time traveler. It might even be a friend that Sarah Jane hadn't met yet.

Sarah Jane sat puzzling on the sofa and eating the chow mein Luke ordered, or looking over the results on Mister Smith for a few hours. Luke went to bed with the promise that Sarah Jane would wake him when things changed. She was reading over the blood make up when she heard a noise from behind her. She turned to see the alien stir again in her sleep, and again. Within seconds the alien was rolling wildly and struggling with invisible bonds. She let out a few low moans then the pitch began to rise and she cried out. Sarah Jane still couldn't see the alien's face while she thrashed and struggled but she'd seen her fair share of nightmares. The alien ceased struggling and fastened her arms tightly around the red backpack she'd brought. She let out a high keening noise that fractured into sobs.

Some things, Sarah Jane decided, trumped caution; she couldn't let anyone suffer through a nightmare if she could help it. She knelt beside the creature and shook her shoulder.

"You're dreaming, wake up!" She said.

The alien cried out again, this time clearly. "Doctor!" The alien wailed.

Sarah Jane froze in place. That certainly explained the artron energy but very little else, other than she could likely trust this visitor. She resumed shaking and soothing the sleeping female. With one final shake, the alien awoke with a cry.

"It's alright!" Sarah Jane said softly, "You're safe. You were having a nightmare. Do you understand English?"

The alien sniffled and wiped a sleeve across her face, clearing away unseen tears. Her back was still turned to Sarah Jane.

"I'd better," said the alien. Her voice sounded young and... cockney of all things. "Sarah Jane?" came a tremulous query.

"That's me." Sarah Jane answered automatically. Slowly, while pushing strands of brown hair from her face, the alien turned around to face the woman. Big brown eyes lit with gold met Sarah Jane's while the wide, full lips trembled. Sarah Jane studied the face in front of her for a moment before leaping away.

"Mister Smith! Activate the containment field." Sarah Jane cried.

Rose blinked as the bluish field snapped back into existence. When she'd first arrived, she was surprised but not upset by the field. Sarah Jane had every right to protection in her home. She had, however, assumed that as soon as Sarah Jane returned all that would be taken care of.

"What's wrong?" She slurred, groggy with sleep. "It's me, Rose. Rose Tyler."

Sarah Jane shook her head slowly, her face icy and impassive. "No. That's not possible. You are using her face. Tell me what you want."

"It's me. It's really and truly me." Rose insisted.

"Rose Tyler is dead."

Rose hadn't realized that Sarah Jane would have seen that bit of information. That did tell her that the Doctor hadn't visited since they saw each other last. "Not dead. Officially yes, but not actually." Sarah Jane still looked skeptical. "The first and last time I saw you, you told me that some things are worth breaking your heart for. And then you told me that if I ever needed a place to go and a friend, I could come to you." Rose's voice trembled and broke as her emotional exhaustion swept over her again. "I think I need a friend." She said plaintively around sobs.

Sarah Jane's face softened slightly, but still refused to melt wholly. "Then how did you get here? And why does Mister Smith say you aren't human?"

Rose turned to face the supercomputer. "You named your computer Mister Smith?" She asked over her shoulder, a smile threatening to tug the corners of her lips.

"Yes." Sarah Jane said defiantly. "Answer the question."

"I promise that I am Rose Tyler, just the same as I was when I last saw you and when I last saw the Doctor."

"I want to believe you. But Mister Smith is conclusive."

"Actually, if I may interrupt, Sarah Jane, I wish to share more information with you." The computer spoke in an even and moderated tone.

"Go on." Sarah Jane said.

"Assuming our visitor to have earthly origins, my data makes more sense. These portions of the chromosomal sequence are identical to statistically likely sequences of human DNA. I conclude that seventy-five percent of her genetic sequence is human. That portion contains the whole of the human genome. The other twenty-five percent has been perfectly spliced in and integrated until it made the structure look foreign. The assumption that she is from Earth was needed to sort out the DNA." The computer reported, displaying a variety of screens covered in letters and numbers.

Sarah Jane studied the screen for a long moment then turned and studied Rose. "Release her." She said abruptly before walking forward and enveloping Rose in a hug. "I'm sorry, my dear. I'm so sorry for whatever happened." Sarah Jane murmured as Rose pressed her tear streaked face into the older woman's shoulder and sobbed. The two sank to the ground as Rose's knees gave way. Finally safe, Rose cried herself to sleep on the floor of the attic of Number 13 Bannerman Road.

Sarah Jane smoothed Rose's hair back from her sleeping face and gently cleared the lingering tears from her cheeks. Though she had warned the girl, she never truly thought that the day would come that Rose Tyler would knock at her door. Of course, she hadn't. She'd appeared in the middle of Sarah Jane's attic. Still, Sarah Jane had seen the way the Doctor looked at Rose, the way he took her hand and hugged her. She'd worried for the Doctor when she saw Rose's name on the list of the dead at Canary Wharf, the terrifying day when all the nightmares of her past came back to haunt her. He, of course, had never stopped by. Until Rose awoke, Sarah Jane knew she would discover nothing of what happened. As she lifted Rose's slender frame onto the couch, she noticed that the girl was much, much too slender. Her face, which used to have the fullness of youth, was dominated by angular cheekbones. Purple bags stood out under her eyes even against her surprisingly tanned skin. Her ribcage was evident and the knobs of her vertebrae stood out like beads on a string all the way up her spine.

"What happened to you, Rose?" Sarah Jane whispered, staring at the girl who seemed so fragile but Sarah Jane was certain that she'd borne a weight greater than most people imagine. Sarah Jane draped a blanket over the sleeping girl and found a sleeping sack for herself. She laid down on the floor next to the couch and fell asleep.

When Rose awoke again, there was a golden toned light filling the room. She shifted suddenly from lying to sitting as she woke and tried to remember where she was. Was it time to go back to England? Then, as her senses adjusted her brain filled in the gaps. She was safe, and at Sarah Jane's, and there was a teenage boy sitting in a chair watching her.

"Er, hello." Rose said, running a hand awkwardly through her hair.

"Good morning," said the boy, "My name is Luke. Mum said I should let you sleep but when you awoke I should tell you that she is downstairs and has made breakfast."

"Mum?" Rose said groggily.

"Sarah Jane. She adopted me after I was created by aliens."

"Oh." Rose said, still feeling fuzzy. She'd definitely gotten more sleep in the past thirty-six hours than she had for a year. Maybe more than a year. Torchwood wasn't big on sleeping in either. She blinked fully awake. "Right. Hello Luke. I'm Rose."

"Hello Rose. Mum said you traveled with the Doctor. Did he have something to do with that Saxon thing yesterday?"

"Luke, leave her alone." Sarah Jane said from the door of the attic as she watched Rose's face pale at his words. "How about breakfast, Rose?"

Rose nodded and followed the older woman downstairs.

Sarah Jane's house was spacious and light. Though the furniture was outdated, it was still tasteful. Most of the rooms had little personal touches but Luke left an imprint. A few school books stacked haphazardly on a table, sweatshirts thrown over the backs of chairs, a bike helmet in the corner, and, most notably, a collection of framed photos on the mantle.

In the sunny kitchen, Rose wrapped her hands around a warm mug of tea and tried to remember how long it had been since she'd had tea. Nearly a year, she decided. Early on, people still had food in their homes they were willing to share. She moaned in pleasure as she took a sip, then flushed.

"Sorry, it's been a while since I've had a cuppa." She explained to Sarah Jane, who was watching her closely.

"Rose... How long has it been for you? And what happened?" Sarah Jane asked gently, placing a comforting hand on the girl's.

Rose took a deep ragged breath as she prepared to summon up her demons.

"Five and a half years since I met you. Five years since it all went wrong. Since Canary Wharf." Though the memories of that day still stung, they were easy to face compared to the last year.

"There's an organization called Torchwood. It was founded by Queen Victoria after the Doctor and I saved her from a werewolf and was meant to protect England from aliens. According to this timeline, a few years back they discovered a tear in space above London so they built a tower to reach it and started poking at it. Something came through and soon after the ghosts followed. The tear reached between parallel universes. It was a parallel that Mickey, the Doctor, and I had fallen into not long before. My dad was still alive there and we helped him defeat the Cybermen. Mickey stayed there when we left. Parallel worlds are supposed to be closed off, but Mickey was there at Torchwood when the Doctor and I started investigating the ghosts. The first thing that came through was a void ship, made to survive in the absence between universes called the void. Inside it were Daleks. Then the ghosts solidified into Cybermen from the other universe.

"The Doctor realized that everything that had passed through the void picked up a kind of background radiation and if he opened the portal to the void, everything that came through it would be sucked back in. So Mickey, and my other dad, and my real mum, went back to the other universe 'cuz my mum was killed by Cybermen in that one. The Doctor and I had been through too though, so we held onto these alien clamp things so we didn't get sucked into the void. Then a Dalek bumped into one of the levers holding the portal open and I had to let go to keep the portal open. And then I slipped. But my dad came back and caught me just before I fell into the void and took me back to the parallel world. Then the hole sealed and I was trapped.

"The Doctor thought it was impossible, but I found a way back and soon I'll see him again. But this year... oh god this year..." She trailed off as tears ran down her face. "The year that no one remembers except those on the Valiant."

Sarah Jane wrapped her arms around Rose's shoulders. "Tell me what happened, Rose." She murmured. And Rose did. And Sarah Jane held her as she relived the hell.

Rose slept off and on through the rest of the day in Sarah Jane's spare room. The year that never was left her exhausted and spent. Sarah Jane wrote down Rose's account of events and compared them with the facts she had gathered. Everything lined up, so far as she could see. She continued studying Rose's genetic data too, trying to figure out just what happened to the human girl who left with the Doctor.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: All rights to the BBC. Not mine, desafortunadamente.**

Martha Jones was home safe with her family again. Tom Milligan was alive again, so was the entire nation of Japan, and the rest of the world. As much as she rejoiced in that, she worried about her family. Though the experience had bound her parents back together, Martha wished that they had been left on Earth, ignorant of it all. She debated looking up Marion Wolfe. Because she'd left her friend behind on Earth, the other girl would remember nothing of that year, nothing of Martha Jones, and Martha wasn't yet sure that she could approach her as just a friend of the Doctor's. But, she knew that if anyone would understand what happened, Marion would. And, there were the things Marion said that didn't add up, as if she knew the future. Martha would find her.

The next morning Rose staggered to the en suite and showered. It was a blissful luxury. Showers had been few and far between for a while as electricity ran scarce to power wells and water heaters. The rivers she'd bathed in were suspect in cleanliness. She frowned at her reflection as she dried it with the miniature hair dryer Jack had given her from the 51st century. Brown hair just wasn't her look. She screwed up her face in concentration and watched as her hair slowly lightened to a golden blond. It wasn't the same sort of bottle blond she'd worn when she first met the Doctor, that was six years ago, but it was close enough to look like her again. She left it loose around her shoulders and headed down the stairs.

Sarah Jane started when she saw Rose enter the room, but said nothing until they'd both finished breakfast and Luke left for school with Clyde and Maria.

"Rose," She began, "I feel like you may have more to tell me. Your hair is blond this morning, and I still don't know how you appeared in my house. And, if you weren't on the Valiant, how do you remember what happened?"

Rose stared out the window and nodded. This was the moment she dreaded and she knew it would happen many more times as she once again saw the people she knew and loved. How was she to tell them that she wasn't human anymore?

"Did the Doctor tell you that the Tardis wasn't a machine? That she's alive?" Rose asked. Sarah Jane nodded. "My first Doctor, the one I ran away with, told me on my first trip out that the Tardis was telepathic, that she got inside your head and translated things. She always seems to know where and when to go, too, even when it isn't where the Doctor wants."

"Yes, that happened quite often." Sarah Jane said with a fond smile.

Rose smiled back. "Well, after a while, the Doctor and I got into a spot of trouble with Daleks. They'd escaped the Time War and were hiding in the year 200,100 kidnapping humans and altering the Earth. We were trapped there and the Doctor tricked me back into the Tardis and sent me home.

"I didn't want to be home though. I managed to pry open part of the Tardis and look into her heart. Inside the Heart of the Tardis is time, the most powerful thing in the universe. I looked into her, and she looked into me and for a time we were one. We returned and saved the Doctor. The Doctor took the Heart out of me again to save my life. From that, he regenerated. But part of the Heart stayed in me, locked away but quietly making changes. Then I was lost to the other universe."

Then Rose explained how she met River and how she came back to their universe.

"So you are part Tardis?" Sarah Jane asked in disbelief.

Rose nodded.

Sarah Jane swallowed thickly. "Alright. Would you like to come with me today? I'm looking into some rumors about an old house."

Rose grinned. "Love to."

Martha Jones could find nothing on Marion Wolfe. No address, phone number, school records, health records, nothing. She couldn't even find records of a Wolfe family living on or near the Powell Estates. The only things she could think of were that; one, she'd imagined the girl, or two, Torchwood had hidden her records. Considering she still had a photo of the other girl on her camera, Martha found the second much more likely, especially since Marion was a friend of Jack's.

It wasn't long before Jack invited Martha to his Torchwood. Martha printed two copies of the photo she had of Marion. She'd taken it in a happier period of their journey and the expression on the other girl's face was as close to a real smile as Martha had ever seen. From the softening of Marion's face every time Jack was mentioned, she imagined they were close and he might like the photo.

Martha descended into Torchwood Three on the lift oh so close to where Doctor parked the Tardis more than a year before. Jack broke into a wide smile and gave her a tight hug. Martha could sense the change in Jack immediately. Around the Doctor, Jack was the rebel, the mischievous child, but with his team, he was the captain, the mysterious leader. It seemed to Martha that it was an attitude he'd adopted to save himself from the pain of non-time traveling friends. If they didn't know him and he didn't know them, then he couldn't be hurt. At least, not so badly. After introductions to the stunned team, Jack and Martha went to dinner where they could talk.

"They're good people, you know. My team." Jack said, "As much as I miss traveling with the Doctor, I would have missed this more. And you know, someday I might meet up with him again."

Martha nodded, she was still unsure about the Face of Boe. It made sense, but still... She stared off across the water as she thought of the final death of the man who sat before her. Time travel was wonderful and terrible.

"Martha," Jack began softly, "You have someone to help you, too, right? I know you're helping your family but that was one hell of a year and you went through it alone." His voice was calm and soothing.

"UNIT has been helping with that. But, I wasn't alone. Not for most of it." Martha told him.

"That's how you met Tom, right?" Jack said smugly.

Martha stuck her tongue out at him. "Yes, but that wasn't what I meant."

"Then who? The Master said it was just you and that's what you told the Doctor."

"It was a friend of the Doctor's, and yours, she said." Martha said.

Jack blinked owlishly at her cryptic answer. "Who?"

"Guess." Martha teased as she dug the photo out of her purse.

"Harriet Jones?" Jack said.

"Nope! Wait- the former Prime Minister? You know the former Prime Minister?"

"We'd met." Jack answered evasively. He'd liked Harriet Jones and wasn't terribly happy that the Doctor had caused her absence. "Now tell me." He demanded.

"Does Torchwood hide their employees? 'Cause I couldn't find her anywhere." Martha stalled.

Jack's face went curiously blank. "Not usually. I got the impression that the Doctor wasn't too fond of people who worked for Torchwood."

"Well, she definitely knew him." Martha said dryly.

Jack eyed her carefully. There was almost a trace of the old jealousy in her voice but her face was calm. "Who was it?"

Martha studied his face as she answered. "Marion Wolfe." She said and slid the photo over to him.

His expression didn't change at the name, except to harden nearly imperceptibly. He took the photo though and after a moment his whole body softened. He traced over the curve of Marion's face with a trembling finger.

"So, you do know her." Martha said.

"Yes. You could say that. We lost touch after the Doctor left me." His eyes didn't leave the photo.

"You didn't react to her name, just her face." Martha said, her eyebrows up.

"When I knew her, that wasn't her name."

"Bad Wolf? She said that was her code name."

Jack laughed. "No, but that makes sense." He'd never heard who was behind the Bad Wolf message, but if it was _her_ code name...

"She thought you were in a different century."

"She should know that wouldn't stop me." Jack said firmly.

"Just how close were you?" Martha teased.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Want to find out?" He answered back. "No, she had someone. I wasn't going to interfere with that."

"That's a first..." Martha muttered.

He finally looked up and his disarmingly blue eyes met her brown ones. "Let's head back to the hub."

Installed on the comfortable couch in Jack's office, Martha was prodded to start her tale. When she finished, she headed to bed, leaving Jack to process.

He sat at his desk, head in his hands. So, Rose had done the impossible again. Strangely, Jack found he wasn't so surprised. His memory went back nearly a hundred years to an unusual visit. Enigmatic was definitely one way to describe River Song. There were other ways too. She'd known Jack though, future Jack, and left an impression on the past him. She'd also told him that he'd see the Doctor and Rose again, separately at first and then together. When he'd last seen the Doctor, he'd assumed that the times he'd gone to the Powell Estate in the nineties was when he'd see Rose, and that when he saw them together again, it would be in their past. Though he was a little doubtful, the dread in the Doctor's voice had killed his optimism. But this Rose that Martha spent half a year with, she'd been separated from the Doctor and for some reason she wasn't running straight back to him. Jack simply needed more information.

Well, he hadn't spent more than a century waiting for the Doctor in vain, Jack had become a patient man. He had no way to contact Rose or the Doctor. He'd simply have to wait until they came to him.

Rose was content at Sarah Jane's. She was helping with cases, both alien and not. Luke's friends were very nice, if a bit in awe of her, as was Luke himself. Rose and Luke found themselves on common ground though, both were a bit defensive of their humanity.

Maria's mother was skeptical of the new inhabitant of number 13 but Rose charmed her quickly. Though her ready smile was buried deep, Rose still had a way with people. Rose did get a bit flustered as the woman pestered her for her secret on anti-aging. Though Rose knew herself to be twenty-six, she didn't look any older than twenty.

It took about two months living on Bannerman Road before Rose laughed. Luke was faking ignorance about a popular band and Clyde bought it. The outrage on his teenage face was astounding and incredibly comical. Rose, laughing, looked at Sarah Jane and was met by a warm, delighted smile. Her laughter faded away but she smiled back as she, too, realized that she was laughing.

Rose was healing well. She'd regained the weight she'd lost and couldn't afford to, she could go days at a time without crying, and she could smile easily again. It was time, she decided, to move forward. She was packing her big red bag when Sarah Jane entered the room. The brown haired woman stood in the doorway, leaning against it, as she watched the careful packing. Rose remembered a time when she just shoved all of her things into the pack with abandon. The years spent at Torchwood made care a habit though and she organized the pack extensively.

"Leaving already?" Sarah Jane asked.

Rose answered without turning. She'd felt the floorboards flex as Sarah Jane approached but knew the other woman was waiting for the right moment to speak. "Yeah, it's time."

"Where are you going?"

Rose paused, "I'm not sure. I have to check the journal."

"Rose, do you really trust this River Song? She's sending you into a lot of danger."

"And she also sent me back." Rose answered levelly. "I know you're concerned, but it is my choice, everything that I've done."

Sarah Jane bit her lip. "Just, be careful, Rose. I care about you."

"I know." Rose stood and hugged the woman tightly. "Thank you, for everything."

Sarah Jane tucked her chin over Rose's shoulder and held her tightly. As hard as it would be for her to see Rose leave, it was necessary. Rose needed the Doctor and, she was fairly certain, the Doctor needed Rose.

Rose checked her journal. She put it away with a smile. The first line was easy for her to do.

_Go see Jack_

After borrowing some equipment from Sarah Jane, she made her goodbyes to Luke, Clyde, and Maria. With a last hug for Sarah Jane and a whispered promise that she'd come back someday soon, Rose hopped to Torchwood Three. She activated the personal forcefield she borrowed from Sarah Jane as soon as she landed and hoped that Jack would be there soon.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in this work are not my own intellectual property and I gain no material benefit from this story. All rights to the BBC.**

_AN: Thank you all for the lovely reviews. They make my day just a bit brighter. I hope you can forgive the shortness of this chapter in exchange for... JACK!_

Jack returned to the hub with Ianto after a mission involving particularly problematic fuzzy wuzzies. He was laughing as Ianto struggled through the double lock secure doors while carrying three crates of the critters.

"Jack!" He heard from the doorway to his office. Gwen's voice was alarmed but not panicked.

"Coming!" He called back and sprinted up the stairs. Gripping the top rail, he spun as he turned through the doorway. All he could see was Gwen's back as she pointed a very large weapon at an off-world forcefield by his desk. "Ah. A visitor. Gwen, do I get to say hello."

"Only if you keep it in your pants." Gwen muttered as another voice spoke.

"O captain, my captain," proclaimed a familiar voice.

"So, Whitman exists in multiple universes." Jack replied, his tone light and happy. "Last time I'd checked, you weren't so familiar with poetry."

Gwen lowered her weapon at his friendly tone and stepped aside, revealing the blond sitting on the edge of his desk.

Rose grinned at him, the tip of her tongue poking out of one side. She lowered the forcefield and stood up, stretching out her arms.

"University." She said as Jack scooped her into a hug. "The Doctor's lessons rubbed off." She cocked her head to one side. "You're not very surprised to see me." She accused.

Jack grinned. "Martha stopped by." He explained, "She said some interesting things about my friend, Marion Wolfe. And she brought this." He pulled the slightly creased photo from his pocket and showed it to Rose.

"I forgot she had a camera..." Rose said absently as she studied it. "God, Jack. That year. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Jack grimaced. "Not your fault, Rosie. The bastard's dead."

"Hold up," lilted a Welsh accent behind Jack, "What the bloody hell is going on here?"

With an arm still slung around Rose's waist, Jack turned, spinning both of them to face the furious brunette and the slightly stunned Ianto. "Ianto, Gwen, this is Rose, a very old friend of mine."

"Pleased to meet you." Said the ever polite Ianto.

Gwen inclined her head

"Can't be that old of a friend, Jack." Gwen said, "That girl's no older than twenty."

"I'm twenty-six!" Rose protested. "But I have a feeling it's been a little longer for you, Jack..."

Jack nodded, his face somber again. "You know then? The Doc said you didn't."

"I remembered." Rose said softly. She squinted at Gwen. "Is Gwen short for Gwyneth by any chance?"

Gwen started. "Yes."

"Is your family from Cardiff?"

"Yeah, back to the 1800s."

Rose nodded. "You can be proud of your ancestors."

Gwen gave her a strange look.

"Rose, are you hungry? Maybe we should go for dinner?" Jack suggested, looking at the expressions on the faces of his team.

Rose glanced at them too before replying. "Yeah, sounds good. It's been a while since we were both in Cardiff." She grabbed a jumper from her backpack and nearly danced out the door with Jack close behind.

At a table on the porch of the same restaurant that the Doctor and Blon Slitheen had eaten at only two years before, in linear time, Jack and Rose began to catch up.

"How long, Jack?" Rose asked seriously.

"A century or so." He answered, staring out over the bay.

"I'm sorry. When we left, I asked him about you, I wanted to go back and he said we couldn't. I didn't know then. And now... I'll never be sorry that I didn't want you dead, but I know it's rough on you."

"I've had a long time to think, Rose. I don't blame you for it. Some as the rest of life, this has its ups and downs. I've seen a lot of ugliness and pain, but joy and beauty too. And Rose, you look different from when I last saw you on Satellite Five, but Gwen was right, you don't look any older. Has it really been six years for you?"

Rose nodded and counted them off on her fingers. "One with the Doctor, four in the other universe, and the Year that Never Was. I won't be dying for a long time either."

"You are going back to the Doc, aren't you? He's a wreck without you there." Jack said.

"Of course. As soon as I possibly can."

Jack frowned, he knew from experience that it was difficult to track down the Tardis and her captain, but something still wasn't adding up. "Rosie, how is it that you remember the Year that Never Was? Martha told me you stayed on Earth, so your timeline would have reversed."

Rose shook her head. "I was on the Valiant, in the Tardis. It was the only safe place."

He stared at her. "Alright. I'm confused. Just tell me what's going on." He demanded.

"The Tardis kicked me out." Rose muttered before starting her story.

Jack was a patient listener, resting his head on his hands with his eyes fixed on Rose until she finished her story. "So you've met River then." He grinned, "I don't think the Doc has, just yet."

Rose arched a dark eyebrow at him. "So you've met her then?"

His answering grin had the smugness of the cat that got the canary.

"No, he hasn't yet." Rose said, "He will soon though. For him, the first time he meets her will be the day she dies. And he will continue believing that until the day I rescue her." Rose looked away, it didn't feel right to her to deceive the man she loved that way.

Jack took her chin in his hand and gently drew her back to face him. "Rose Tyler, if you told yourself that it must be done that way, then there must have been a good reason for it. Some things you cannot change."

"And there are some things I cannot change back." She added quietly.

Jack just moved his hand to cover hers on the table. "Thank you for saving my life, Rose."

Rose then asked about Torchwood and his team. She could see in the way he spoke that it had been good for him, but hard, and that he loved his people. A hundred years of watching his friends age and die around him and he still had the capacity to love. Rose hoped she could do as much.

They walked back to the Hub, where Jack slept, still talking, arm in arm. Faced with the choice between the couch and sharing Jack's bed, Rose chose the latter. Her friend held her safe through the night and shook her from her nightmares.

"Not that I'm complaining, mind, but why have you come to see me, Rosie? I got the impression you were on something of a schedule." Jack asked the next morning over a cup of tea.

"I have an assignment for you, from River." Rose explained, turning to dig her journal from her backpack.

"What kind of assignment?" Jack asked, his voice wary.

"Your favorite kind," Rose teased, "The kind with a time, location, and a type of gun." She showed him the information River had written.

Jack's face was curiously blank as he studied the line of numbers and letters. The date was nearly half a year away, the latitudes and longitudes corresponded to London, and the gun...

"Rose, do you know why I need to be there? What enemy I'll face?" Jack said slowly, his voice measured and painstakingly even.

Rose shook her head. "I don't even know if I'll be there. I'm not supposed to read ahead. Spoilers."

Jack nodded. That was the strongest gun he had, it was the only one he had that would damage dalekanium. "Well, I suppose I'll find out when I get there. How long are you staying for?" He said, infusing his voice with all the heartiness he could muster. It wouldn't do to tell this long suffering girl that she would once again face the enemy she feared the most, the one who had caused her the most grief.

"Only a few days." Rose said, "I'm getting so close to the Doctor again..."

He smiled at the wistful expression on her face. As tempted as he'd been by her when they'd first met, he'd recognized before either Rose or the Doc had the kind of relationship they had. And as he'd told Martha, he wasn't going to get in the middle of that sort of love. "You do that, Rosie, it sounds like we'll have centuries more to see each other."

She grinned back at him. "I'll even force the Doctor into making house calls if that's what it takes."

"I expect nothing less."

After two more days with Jack, filled with chasing aliens and eating takeaway, Rose went on her way, the ugly wounds on her heart, which had scabbed over at Sarah Jane's, beginning to heal into scars.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: As per usual, I am borrowing the intellectual property of the BBC and I gain no material benefit from it.**

_AN: Rose has a few loose ends to take care of._

Martha Jones decided that she was, after all, happy to see the Doctor. She'd been apprehensive when she called him, not sure if the sight would bring back old feelings or bad memories. But it was the Doctor, filled with manic energy and genius, and always ready to move forward. The Atmos incident was beyond what she could handle, and she'd been right to call him in.

Donna, the woman now traveling with the Doctor, seemed to live off sass and spunk. Her stubbornness was a counterpoint to the Doctor's and Martha could see how she balanced him out, better than she had, for sure. So maybe she'd cautioned the older woman, reminded her that other things in the world were important too, but she knew that it was good for both of them for Donna to travel with the Doctor.

It wasn't until she, Donna, and the Doctor ended up at Rattigan's academy that she saw the darkness in the Doctor appear again.

"Can't you send it up on a timer?" Donna asked desperately as the Doctor prepared to board the Sontaran ship.

He shook his head sadly. "I've got to give them a chance." He looked back at them with shadowed, empty eyes. Martha suddenly remembered that his joy was an act for himself, so his sorrow wouldn't destroy him. He pressed the button and was gone.

Martha, Donna, and Luke Rattigan stood in stunned silence, watching the place where the magnificent, time-traveling alien had stood only moments before.

The quiet was broken by sudden, angry footsteps and a familiar voice.

"That stupid, arrogant, maddening, brilliant alien GIT." Said the blond as she stomped past the trio on her way to the teleport device.

"Well, someone knows the Doctor." Donna said drily.

"Marion?" Choked out Martha, staring at a blond version of the friend she thought she'd lost.

She was rewarded by a warm smile. "Martha Jones. You look well. Now, I love you dearly, but you must stop letting him walk all over you like this. He needs to be stopped. Same for you, Donna Noble, but you're new at this."

Donna leaned over to hiss in Martha's ear, "How does she know me?"

Martha had no answer. The blond studied the screen on the teleport for a minute before turning back to them.

"Right then, when he asks, tell him you did something clever. Martha, you know the drill, I was never here."

"But he's doing better!" Martha blurted out, "I think seeing you would be good for him now."

She got a crooked half-smile from the other woman. "Not after this." Marion said seriously. "Donna?" She said, "When you see River in the library, could you pass on a message for me? Tell her to have fun and that anything that can be remembered is never truly gone." Donna only had time to open her mouth before the mysterious visitor vanished in a flash of golden light. A few moments later, the Doctor appeared in the same light and crumpled to the ground. As Martha and Donna raced to him, there was a boom from outside that rattled the windows of the mansion. Luke ran to the windows and stared up at the sky.

"It's gone." He pronounced, "Exploded." He glanced back at the two women who were fighting off levels of shock and grief.

Martha checked over the Doctor, his breathing was fine if slow and deep, and his hearts were both beating. She smelled something odd though as she checked his breathing.

"Chloroform." She pronounced, settling back onto her heels. "He'll wake in five minutes or so."

"Martha, who was that?" Donna asked.

"Marion Wolfe. She's... a friend. She knew the Doctor. And Rose." Martha replied hollowly.

"I'm sorry." Donna said, wrapping an arm around the younger woman's shoulders. "She knew though, what would happen? That's why she told us not to tell the Doctor?"

"Yeah, I guess she did." Martha said as a tear traced its way down her cheek. "I wasn't allowed to tell him when I met her either. She said it would make him sad. But she shouldn't remember. She shouldn't know me."

"What do you mean? Was it in the future?"

"No, it was in a timeline that reversed. The only people that remember it are the ones who were on the Valiant when Saxon... went mad. I left her behind on Earth. Something else is going on here, but of course there is if the Doctor's involved."

"Saxon? That nutter prime minister?

"That one. Except he was actually a Time Lord and a childhood companion of the Doctor's."

"What's a reversed timeline?" Donna asked.

"There was a global paradox and it was broken, so time reversed and everything that happened after the paradox didn't happen anymore. Except for those of us on the Valiant, no one remembered it." Seeing Donna's confused expression, Martha opened her mouth to explain further, but she was cut off.

"Don't bother, I won't understand anyway. Whatever it was, it sounds complicated."

"A bit." Martha agreed.

"Maybe she wasn't from his past, maybe she was from his future?" Donna suggested.

Martha shook her head. "No, Jack knew her. I think I'm not going to understand it." She ended despondently.

"Nothing about the circumstances changes that she was your friend." Donna said, squeezing Martha into a tight hug.

Martha leaned into the other woman, resting gratefully on her shoulder. She pulled away though as the Doctor coughed behind them.

"What," He said sitting up, "Was all that, then?" He glanced around at the other three people in the room.

Luke, who, aside from some confusion and internal doubts, was least affected, answered. "Something clever." He said with a shrug.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the evasive teen, but Martha was faster. As he opened his mouth to question the kid further, she interrupted.

"Doctor, I've got to go check on my mum and dad, and Tish too."

He turned between Martha and Luke, torn, but finally released a deep breath and stalked out of the room with Donna and Martha following.

* * *

Back in central London, outside her favorite chippy, Rose sat studying her journal.

_You have a choice to make here, Rose._

It wasn't a decision to be made lightly, she knew that. In all honesty, the scale and repercussions of the choice scared her immensely. Was she ready to be a mother at twenty-six? Of course, River assured her that the child, born as an adult, wouldn't find her and the Doctor again until she'd had plenty of time to grow up. Jenny, River called her, would be born whether or not Rose interfered. But Rose had the choice of being a biological part of her. Rose clasped her hands together under her chin as she thought. It wasn't a definitive thought that pushed her to the decision, but more of a feeling. In her mind's eye, she could see herself with children, with a daughter. Brushing hair, shopping for clothes, worrying over a first date, it was a warm, fuzzy sort of idea. She checked the time and date one final time and hopped to the planet Messaline.

The first thing, Rose thought, she'd do when she saw the Doctor was force him to make her a sonic screwdriver. Well, maybe the second. Or third. Well, it was on the list. It certainly would be helpful to have for adjusting the coding on the progeneration machine.

"Ow." She yelped, pulling her hand away from the device as a wire shocked her. Sucking on the injured finger, Rose faced the small screen she'd rewired to the central programming system. She sighed as she read over the coding and got to work. Half an hour later, she was reasonably certain she'd reprogrammed it to collect genetic information from two sources. She finished by setting it to cease operation after the next full run. With dexterous use of a short range electromagnet, Rose resealed the panel. She took one, shuddering breath and stuck her arm into the collector. She bit her lip against the sting of the tissue sample and stepped away as the machine released her.

A strange feeling crept into the back of Rose's head, a feeling that felt very much like 'oops.' Behind Rose, a small gust picked up followed by the echoing and unmistakable sound of the Tardis. She spent one long moment glaring at the Tardis. The Doctor would be able to feel it if she hopped from there, his timey senses combining with a strong sense of smell. Which meant that Rose was stuck there until the Doctor got distracted or left to go somewhere else. With a final mental grumble at the Tardis, Rose rechecked her mental shields and stalked off behind a pile of rubble and scrap metal.

Soon, the Doctor rushed out of the Tardis, a manic grin spread across his face. Rose couldn't have gone more still, she held herself frozen to prevent herself from running to him. Just outside her consciousness, she could feel the vast presence of his mind. Martha and Donna stepped out of the Tardis too. Rose arched an eyebrow. River hadn't mentioned that Martha would be there. Then again, River didn't mention a lot of things.

They were only alone for a moment before a couple of young, human soldiers rushed in, pointing guns at the indignant time travelers. At gunpoint, the Doctor was led to the progeneration machine and had his tissue sample removed. Rose smirked as the process was accompanied by a variety of squawks and ows. Her first Doctor never would have admitted to a little pain like that one. Then she caught her first look at her daughter.

She wasn't much younger than Rose. She certainly didn't look any younger than Rose herself did, but appearances can be deceiving. Rose watched as the Doctor explained Jenny's birth. Of course, she didn't have a name yet. Though the way the girl handled the large gun she was tossed was disconcerting, it was the Doctor's behavior that brought Rose's dark eyebrows together in a frown. That was her daughter he was writing off. And she was beautiful. Rose's heart soared as she looked at her.

Noises from down the corridor startled everyone present and a firefight broke out. Rose flinched back and shielded her head as large rocks tumbled down around her. She found herself nearly trapped by the rubble but was able to see around to both sides of the rock division. The Doctor, Donna, and Jenny stood on one side of the wall; the Doctor yelling at the armed humans. Martha Jones lay on the other side. The instinct to protect Martha was strong, but Rose forced herself not to move. That was one situation she definitely couldn't explain. She exhaled softly in relief as Martha stirred and sat up, looking no worse for the wear. The newly minted doctor turned immediately to the injured Hath next to her and began treatment. Rose smiled.

The Doctor and his group were being questioned and finally, led away.

"We will meet, someday in the future, and it will be lovely." Rose whispered to her daughter as the group walked away.

Carefully, she extricated herself from the pile of rocks and walked to the Tardis. She rested one hand gently on the warm, wooden side of the ship she called home before stepping away and spinning, hopping away to safety.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: Not my intellectual property**

_AN: So apparently if I don't update, I'm at risk of losing my life... Sometimes the fandom scares me. This is pretty short, sorry, but it's one of the scenes that's been fully formed in my head since I started writing. Enjoy._

Donna'd felt a shiver down her spine as soon as the Doctor announced that they were at the Library. It took her a little while to remember why; well, it took until they met the mysterious River Song. _When you see River in the Library, could you pass on a message for me?_ The equally mysterious blond who saved the Doctor from himself not so long ago, at least to the two of them, somehow knew Donna's future. Maybe she could learn something from River Song.

It took a little while for her to corner the woman away from the Doctor.

"You know him, don't you?" The red headed woman began, causing River to give her a sharp glance, followed by a smile.

"Oh, God, do I know him. We go way back, just not this far back. Sharp as ever, Donna Noble."

Donna evaluated her carefully. "You're from the future."

River laughed. "You're in the fifty-first century, sweetie. I'm in the proper time, more or less."

"No, I meant, you're from his future, and mine."

"Yes, I sent a message to the psychic paper but it went wrong, it arrived too early." River said slowly, her face a mask.

"That's hard for you, isn't it?" Donna said gently, showing the side of her that only a few were privileged enough to see.

"He looks at me, and he looks right through me. And it shouldn't half kill me, but it does." The words were so quiet that Donna strained to hear them. It was heartbreaking to see this woman so close to her limits, for she seemed so resilient.

"I have a message for you." Donna said carefully, "From a woman called Marion Wolfe."

River raised an eyebrow. "Ah, that explains a few things. What is the message?"

"She said, she said to have fun, and that.." Donna paused as she tried to remember the odd words of the dying woman, "That anything that can be remembered is never truly gone." She watched closely as she delivered the message. The first part, it seemed was expected, but the second caused a furrow to develop across the proud forehead. River mouthed the words silently, searching for the meaning behind them.

Hesitantly, Donna spoke again, "She was your friend, yeah? Marion?"

River smiled, a true, brilliant smile. "Yes. Yes, she most certainly is that."

"I'm sorry, but she's dead. She died saving the Doctor from the Sontarans."

Donna wasn't expecting the throaty chuckle from the other woman. "No, she's not."

"She went up, and seconds later, the ship exploded. No teleport down. I'm sorry, but she's gone."

"I think you'll find that she isn't." River said, meeting Donna's eye for a moment before the Doctor called them away.

Later, when the Vashta Nerada were gone and Donna, the Doctor, and Mr. Lux were the only ones left, Donna wondered about the message. Marion knew, obviously, that they were all going to be at the Library, and presumably, how that ended. So why? Why would she tell River, a woman bound to die, to have fun? She shook her head and followed after the Doctor. A nice, relaxing day at the spa was what she needed.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: Not my intellectual property, no material benefit.**

_Author's Note: As tempted as I was to wait for one more review (to make it to 200!) I thought y'alls deserved a chapter more. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!_

Rose returned to the empty apartment in the Powell Estates, her empty apartment, only a few days after Canary Wharf. She was using it to stash her things between hops. The world outside was mourning the loss of thousands to the Cybermen and Daleks. The Doctor, Rose thought with a smile, was figuring out a way to see her across the void. She looked at her journal.

_Give him a reason to live. Lock onto the Tardis. April 14__th__, 1912 8:00 pm_

Why does that date sound so familiar? Rose mused as she slipped the journal into the inside pocket of her long, black coat and hopped.

Oh, you have got to be kidding me, she thought as she landed, looking as the fancy emblem on the door leading outside. HMS Titanic. The Tardis hummed an invitation to her from around a corner. Rose let herself in quietly and slipped inside. She was quickly shepherded to the wardrobe by the insistent ship. Rose changed into a simple, nice dark grey wool dress. The Tardis sent her a wave of approval as she pinned up her hair and adjusted her makeup for the time period. She pulled on her coat and slung a shoulder bag on with her regular clothes tucked neatly inside. Then she set out in search of the Doctor.

Rose gritted her teeth against the biting, bitter chill outside but she suspected the Doctor was out in the beauty of the evening, rather than inside with the tawdry glitter of wealth and power. It was starting to fall dark when she found him.

Her heart nearly stopped as the fading glow of the sunset wreathed his form in the softest whisper of light. Her first Doctor stood there, his posture as unmistakable as the battered leather jacket outlining his broad shoulders. He was bent forward at the waist, his folded hands resting on the gunwhale, his head up, and one foot propped against the base of the railing. He was brooding; Rose could tell.

Give him a reason to live, River told her. This must be the Doctor fresh out of the Time War, so alone, so broken and guilty. Rose's heart hurt for him. She doubted he would ever recover from the events of the war, but he would get better. She would make sure of that.

Though Rose would bet money that the Doctor heard her approach, he gave no sign of it. He stood at the very bow, watching the proud steel hull cut through the cold, dark waters that would soon be its grave. Rose stood behind him a ways and studied him as she cast about for ways to start the conversation. A slow grin spread across her face as an idea dawned on her.

"Don't jump." She said, "Don't do it. 'Cuz if you do, I'm gonna have to go in after you and that water looks bloody freezing."

The Doctor snorted but didn't turn around. "Humans," He muttered in that tone somewhere between gruff and fond, "Standing on the deck of the most famous ship in history and what do you do? Quote the-" He broke off suddenly and whirled to face her, his steely blue eyes wide as they met her laughing honey-colored ones.

"That film doesn't come out for another 85 years." He accused.

"What film?" Rose replied, her eyes wide and tone sweet.

His eyes narrowed and he stepped in very close to her. "Don't try playing the fool with me. Stupid ape, you're still wearing a watch with a liquid crystal display. You're from that bloody agency aren't you?"

She met his gaze with a smile. He was getting close to his Oncoming Storm gaze, but Rose was just so happy to see the Doctor, this Doctor, again that it didn't faze her in the slightest.

"Relax, Doctor. I'm not a Time Agent."

He stiffened. "How do you know my name? What do you want?" He hissed, still trying to keep out of the notice of the few other passengers milling around the deck.

"I'm a friend, Doctor." She said with her tongue in teeth smile and dropping the 'r' off the end of his name. "I'm here to see you, make sure you're alright." She turned away to face the ocean. If he was going to throw a tantrum like Tony, she wouldn't let it bother her.

"I'm always alright." She heard him say under his breath and she muffled a sudden sob. Some things never changed. Rose was suddenly struck by the memory of the day after she met the Doctor; it was a memory of a man named Clive who showed her photos of the doctor woven throughout history.

"So you convinced that family not to get on board, then came yourself? Why do you torture yourself, Doctor?" She asked, turning back to study his face.

"What do you mean?" He sputtered.

"All these people you can't save." Rose whispered, "Even you can't change the sinking of the Titanic."

He gave it serious thought and surprised himself when he answered her truthfully. "I've lived for so long. Time doesn't touch me the same way it does other people. But this, this ship, it feels the weight of time so heavily. I needed proof that time goes on." The guilt and sorrow were evident in his voice, but Rose could hear the slightest undercurrent of fear.

"Oh, Doctor." Rose said, laying a comfortable hand on his arm, "It does get better, Time goes on and life goes on too. There are so many more things in this universe for you to see."

He searched her face desperately, trying to find a reason to believe in what she said. "How can you be so sure?" He whispered.

"Because I was there, I will always be there."

"Who _are_ you?" The Doctor pressed, grabbing her tightly by the shoulders, "How did you know where to find me? And why, why, do I trust you?"

"I told you, I'm a friend. Well, I will be a friend. Blimey, tenses are hard around you. I suppose you can feel it in my timeline. As for the other, well," she winked, "Spoilers."

He stared into her eyes, a crease appearing between his eyebrows. Rose felt a pressure building in her mind.

"Oi! Cut that out." She scolded as she pushed him out and shrugged his hands off her shoulders.

His eyes widened and Rose realized she was increasing the mystery around her. Good, she thought, nothing would get him excited for the future like a puzzle. With that in mind, she dropped the shield around her mental signature, allowing the Doctor to sense her as a telepathic being.

"What are you?" He asked.

"Wouldn't you just love to know?" She teased.

He paused, then, "How would you like to see my time ship?"

Rose laughed. "The Tardis isn't going to help you figure it out; she's on my side."

"You've been on my ship?" The Doctor asked.

"Oh yes." Rose grinned.

He thought for a moment. "So you're a future… companion… of mine?"

"Yes."

"And when I meet you properly, then I'll know what you are?" Rose thought about it. She was human at the start and he certainly knew that; she'd been called a stupid ape too many times for that not to have sunk in. Plus, when she got back to the Doctor, the current one, well, the one who was current with her timeline… anyway, she'd tell him.

"I'm certainly not going to stop you from finding out." She decided finally.

"Will I meet you soon?"

She remembered his disbelief at Mickey's jibes about his ears, he hadn't had a whole lot of time to look in the mirror first. "Yup." She said, popping the 'p' the way he would in his next regeneration.

"Right." He rubbed his hands together gleefully. "What's your name, then?"

Rose could practically see the cogs turning in his head. He wanted to look her up with the Tardis and track her down. She smiled gently. "Sorry Doctor, I can't tell you that. Funny thing is, when we meet, I don't think that you remember any of this. Any ideas on that?"

He frowned, some of the manic energy that had appeared at the first hint of mystery fading from his eyes. "Yes." He said woodenly. "It means I have to lock this memory away."

"An' how's that work then?" Rose asked.

"Sometimes I have to hide things from myself, often meeting future versions of myself or somebody telling me too much. So I lock that memory behind a door in my mind."

"What about when it's safe to remember?"

"A trigger of some sort, a phrase or sound usually, will unlock it."

"You'll do that then? Lock away the memory of this?" Rose felt the elation fading, what was the point of coming if he just had to forget?

"Yes." He said, watching her disappointment growing, "But some of it will bleed through. Nothing specific, but I'll remember the feelings, the emotions, an impression of the moment."

Rose smiled again. She shouldn't have doubted River's directions. "Good."

"But," he said hesitantly, "we've got some time before we've got to leave. You could stay for a bit, maybe go inside?" He was very carefully keeping the pleading tone from his voice, but Rose knew him better than that.

"I'd love to, Doctor."

He looked pleased and relieved and offered her his arm. "So, if you won't tell me your name, is there something I can call you?" He asked.

Rose thought for a moment and gave him her cheeky grin. If he wasn't going to remember it… "I s'pose you can call me Rose."

The Doctor snorted. "Don't call me Jack."

That made Rose giggle a little more than it should've as she recalled the jealousy the Doctor showed to Captain Jack. "Alright." She agreed.

"Well then, Rose." He emphasized her name in a way that sounded odd until she realized that she was used to him saying her last name too, the way 'Rose Tyler' rolled off his tongue. "Would you care to dance?"

Mutely, she followed him onto the dance floor, remembering the only time she danced with this Doctor. _ The world doesn't end because the Doctor dances. _To her surprise, he was a very passable dancer. Then again, she thought, that may have been why he didn't remember to begin with. If dancing was tied up with this memory, which she was forcing him to lock away, then it made sense.

They passed an hour pleasantly, dancing and dining aboard the doomed ship, avoiding serious topics.

"We should go." Rose said, glancing away as she felt a tear welling in her eyes. She sniffed.

"Yes." Said the Doctor seriously standing from his seat at the table and wrapping Rose's coat around her shoulders.

They walked in somber silence to the Tardis, avoiding eye contact with the passengers, both Rose and the Doctor knew the unfortunate passengers would only have a chance to live. At the door to the brilliant blue box, Rose forced a smile and turned to the Doctor.

"All set then, Doctor. Go forth into the universe. Save the world." She said.

He gave her a long look. There was pain in her voice that he didn't believe was from the Titanic. He reached out and lifted her chin to look at him. He could see the tremble of her lips.

"C'mon in. I'll give you a ride back to your timeline." He said.

She shook her head gently so his calloused fingers, still so gentle, never left her face. "I have my own ride."

He swallowed. "Right. I'll lock up my memory now. When the time is right, just tell me… 'It's time to remember, Doctor.' That should do the trick."

"Alright." She said, her cockney accent thick, obscuring the 'l'. Then, before she could lose her nerve, she fisted the lapels of his leather jacket and pulled, rising up on her toes to kiss him. She pressed her lips to his only briefly before breaking away and running off into the fallen night, vanishing from view. The Doctor stared after her, his mouth falling open in shock. He closed it as he felt impossible feelings rising in his hearts. Surprise, yes, but also contentment, and most strangely warmth. He was so sure that his hearts had frozen over during the war. He shook his head sadly and walked into the Tardis. He put her in the vortex and locked away the memories before he could be tempted to search out the mysterious woman.

Somewhere, out in the universe, the Doctor wasn't sure what reignited his sense of curiosity and his wonder at the universe, but it no longer seemed so barren.


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: not my intellectual property, desafortunadamente.**

* * *

Rose Tyler shouldered her big, red pack and looked up into the night sky. She could feel it as much as see it. The stars vanishing, one by one, before her eyes. Her hand, inside her pocket, was clutched around the smooth egg of the remote.

"Good bye." She whispered to the crowded street as she followed River's next instruction.

_Get out._

And the empty, sky blue walls of her room in the Tyler Mansion materialized around her.

It didn't look quite the same as she had left it. The top of the vanity, the bedside tables, the desk, which Rose had left empty were now scattered with things. The bed behind her was draped with clothes. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough for Rose to understand. Even when she'd been in her home universe and they had so little money, when she was away with the Doctor, Jackie would do the same thing. She'd see something at a shop that Rose would like and she'd buy it. For Jackie, it was, Rose thought, a way to convince herself that her daughter would return. For Rose though, it was a sign that she was loved and never forgotten. She shrugged out of her top and put on one that Jackie'd left on her bed.

The big house had that empty feeling to it. She checked the clock, it was three-thirty on a Tuesday. If Rose was calculating things correctly, it had been about two and a half years since she left. Which meant that Jackie was probably picking Tony up from school and Pete would be at work. They'd be home soon enough, she reasoned. She set the backpack down in a corner of the room and toed off her shoes. It felt odd, she thought as she padded softly through the halls, that this place should feel like home and not at the same time. It was more like being at Shireen's house, her best friend growing up. She was comfortable there, knew she could help herself to anything in the fridge, and could put her feet up on the furniture, but it wasn't quite the same as her own home. The Tardis was home and always would be. Rose settled down in the living room on the big, squashy sofa with a stack of photo albums. Jackie's camera seemed to be permanently attached to her hand and she loved to take photos of nothing so much as her family. The first few albums were from when Rose was there. Pete and Jackie's wedding, Tony's birth, Rose's graduation from Uni, birthdays, Christmases, New Years', parties. Pictures of Rose, Mickey, and Jake in their Torchwood gear or at home, Mickey with his gran. Rose skimmed through those and lingered over the ones she'd missed. Tony, outgrowing his toddling stage, entered school. Mickey and Jake still showed up frequently.

Rose was still poring over the albums when she heard the front door crack open and the rapid babble of her baby brother followed quickly. Tony's stories about his school mates were punctuated by Jackie's responses, mainly gasps and affirmatives. His stories very quickly diverged from factual into fantastical and aside from a few chuckles, Jackie indulged his fantasies. Rose could hear their passage through the house.

"I want to be a Slitheen for Halloween!" Tony exclaimed as they walked close to the living room, "Do Slitheen have claws?" He asked his mum.

"Yes, Tony-baloney." Rose called from the couch, "Big, long ones."

Outside the door of the living room was a loud gasp, followed by a thunk as Jackie dropped her purse on the floor. She flew into the room and nearly tackled Rose. Tony added his growing weight to the pile.

"Mum! I can't breathe." Rose mumbled as her face was smothered by kisses.

Eventually, Rose was able to sit up. Jackie's arm was still wrapped around her shoulders and, frankly, Rose was okay with that. It had been a long year and a half and she wanted her mummy. Slowly, then all at once, she broke down into tears on her mother's shoulder.

"Shh, shh, sweetheart. It's okay, you let it all out." Jackie murmured, rubbing soothing circles on her daughter's back.

"Mummy? Is Rose alright?" Tony asked after a while.

Jackie turned to smile at her son. "Yes, little man. Why don't you go play in your room for a bit?"

The boy nodded his fiery head solemnly and ran off.

Rose's sobs shuddered to a halt and the comfort of having the strong arms of her mum wrapped around her soothed away the burdens of her mission.

"What happened, Rose? What did you have to do?"

"I can't, Mum. I just can't." Rose choked.

"Alright then, you just forget about it and we'll have a nice time. You just forget about everything."

Rose gave her mum a watery smile and sniffed. "Thanks, Mum."

"You just stay here and relax, I'll take care of everything." Jackie said, hopping up from the sofa and running for her phone.

A few hours later, the party was in full swing. Rose's old Torchwood team was there, and Mickey, Jake, and Pete of course. Rose sipped her drink happily, taking in her family and friends. They were all so brilliant.

"So, where have you been?" Lucy asked, dropping into a chair next to Rose.

Rose smiled at her friend. "Traveling mostly. Went all over the world. Stayed in Cardiff for a bit."

Lucy wrinkled her nose. "Cardiff? Whatever for?"

Rose laughed. "Just to see an old friend."

"But now you're back. You coming back to Torchwood?"

"No, I'll only be here for a few days."

"And then what?"

"Back to traveling the world, I suppose." Rose said with a slight smile.

Lucy looked at her carefully. "No. There's something else. You lived and breathed Torchwood. You're not cut out for a normal life. Even one traveling. You have to have something more exciting than that."

Rose laughed softly, "I'm not saying that there weren't aliens."

"In Cardiff."

"You'd be surprised." Jack seemed busy and Rose had been to Cardiff twice with the Doctor.

Lucy reached over and laid a hand on Rose's. "Come back, Rose. Whatever you've been doing, it's hurt you. Come back to Torchwood, you were happy there."

"Pain and loss, they define us as much as happiness and love." Rose quoted, a glazed look in her eye.

"What?"

"Sorry. It's just, sometimes, the bad stuff is worth it. Some things are worth the monsters."

"But you haven't found it yet, the thing that's worth the monsters." Lucy probed.

"Oh, I have. Then I lost it. But I'm about to find it again."

The hope in her voice was staggering and Lucy could find no words. So she stood and squeezed Rose's shoulder before walking away.

With the exception of Tony, who was sent with a pout to bed early, they were all up late, with Rose and Pete staggering to bed just before three as Jackie snored softly on the couch. Rose was out the moment her head hit the excessively fluffy pillows.

Jackie Tyler was content for the first time in years. Though it wouldn't last, and she knew it wouldn't last, she had both of her children in the house. She knew that Rose was safe, if only for a few days. So, humming absently to herself, she prepared a tray with tea and crumpets to take up to her daughter, still asleep after the party.

"G'morning sweetheart." She said as she nudged open the door and carried the tray in to Rose's room. "Rose!" She cried and rushed to the side of the bed.

Rose lay in the bed, her blond hair forming an unearthly halo around her head, with the sheets twisted around her. She shivered under a sheen of sweat. Her breathing was ragged and uneven. With a whimper, she clutched at the handful of bedding twisted in her hands.

Jackie set down the tray and shook Rose's too hot shoulder. "Rose, sweetheart, wake up. Wake up, sweetheart. Please wake up."

Rose gasped into consciousness and sat bolt upright. "It's started." She rasped.

"What has? What's started?"

"The unraveling of time." She said and fell back onto the pillows. "And it hurts!" She cried.

Jackie took a deep breath. "Stay awake, Rose, I'll be right back." She turned and half-ran out of the room.

"Right then, paracetamol. And a big glass of water, which you will drink every drop of." Jackie helped her daughter sit upright and propped her up with pillows before handing her the medicine. "Strange, I remember doing something similar for himself." Jackie said, sponging Rose's forehead with a cool cloth.

Rose croaked out a soft laugh. "I'll be fine, Mum. Just a little bit longer."

"Then you have to go again." Jackie's voice darkened at the thought.

"Yes." Rose answered.

Jackie sighed. "Well, I s'pose I shouldn't argue with you when you're sick."

Jackie spent the rest of the day mothering Rose. Chicken soup at lunch and dinner as the weary traveler slipped in and out of lucidity. She had terrible dreams. She thrashed about and cried out. Rose cried for the Doctor, which wasn't so surprising, nor was it as Rose cried out for her family, Mickey, and even Jack. But she also screamed out the names Martha, Sarah Jane, and Luke. Those were the dreams she couldn't be roused from and Jackie maintained the dreadful watch. Just after eight o'clock in the evening, the fever died suddenly, Rose opened her eyes, and sat up.

"It's stopped." She said. "And tomorrow my work begins."

The next morning, Rose dressed carefully in comfortable, sturdy Torchwood black pants and the Tardis blue leather jacket her mum found while she was a away. Breakfast was a somber affair, no one really knew what to say. Even Tony, usually so buoyant and talkative was out of his depth with the woman he hadn't seen for a third of life and had somehow changed.

"Right then," Rose said as she finished eating and stood, "I've got to be going."

Jackie stood too and hugged her daughter tightly. "Go," she said, "We'll be here, waiting."

Rose nodded and eased her thumb onto the red, threatening button of the remote and vanished.

* * *

Rose hung in the vortex and searched for the spot that was 'wrong'. River claimed that Rose would be able to feel the disturbance. The rest of her advice was not comforting.

_Go quickly, and remember that this place is wrong and not real, no matter how much it hurts._

But… right there! The flow of time seemed distorted, odd, and wrong. Rose flung herself into that moment.

She appeared on a cold, dark street in London. She broke into a run as she saw a mass of people and vehicles down the street. Where there was chaos like that, there was also the Doctor. As she was running, she saw the bright ginger head of Donna Noble. Official looking people were moving to clear a route out for an ambulance. Rose stopped short in front of Donna, who was just turning to walk away from the scene.

"What happened? What did they find?" Rose asked.

Donna replied automatically, "I dunno, they said something about some bloke called the Doctor."

"Well where is he?" Rose asked, chances were that he too could feel what was wrong with time, if she could just get to him. And why didn't Donna know the Doctor? It was too big of a coincidence for her to be there before she met him.

"They took him away. He's dead."

Rose lost control of her thoughts for a moment as they swirled in terror and dread.

"I'm sorry," Donna said, concerned, "Did you know him? I mean, it could have been any doctor, they didn't say his name."

"No, that's not possible. I've come so far, and this is wrong. It's all wrong." Rose said. Then something caught the corner of her eye and she studied Donna.

"Why are you looking at my back?" Donna demanded.

"I'm not." Rose said quickly, hoping to escape without setting off the redhead's temper.

"Yeah, you are!" Donna insisted, "Is there something on my back?" As she turned to look, Rose hopped back a few blocks, vanishing from view.

Rose sat on a park bench feeling numb. The Doctor was gone, dead. Was there a point anymore? She shook her head quickly, of course there was, she just had to fix it. With renewed determination, she set out to find the date. She groaned when she did. Why was it always Christmas? But 2006, before he'd met Martha. She checked her journal. All River had to say was that things were going to get bad and she should arrange a raffle ticket for Donna to get out of London the following Christmas as things might take a while. Rose shuddered. She'd been at Sarah Jane's when the space replica of the Titanic plummeted towards London. Rose Tyler set off to learn about Donna Noble, as she was somehow connected to what was going on. Rose suspected she was supposed to have met the Doctor that night and saved his life.

Donna's life felt very familiar to Rose. Though her family was a bit better off than Rose's had been, Donna was living the same sort of life that Rose did before she met the Doctor. Donna had a job, not a career and didn't suspect that she could do anything more. Her mum though, wasn't supportive like Jackie, but nagged her daughter constantly.

Rose started working more seriously on reading timelines and started tracing Donna's back from the tangle of wrong that was Christmas. She also looked forward to plan out her next meeting with Donna and discovered, with a jolt, that the other woman would be laid off the same day the Royal Hope Hospital transported to the moon. In this altered world, Rose found that only one thread of the thousand that went up to the moon would return, and it wasn't Martha. That wasn't something she was okay with. Logically, she knew that none of this timeline was real, it would all vanish when she fixed it, but her stubborn heart wanted to save the woman she'd spent a year protecting. So, she thought, two raffle tickets: one for Donna and one for Martha's family. Or maybe not a raffle ticket for the Jones family, Martha was a lot less likely to use it than Donna. She'd have to find some other way to get them out of the city.


End file.
